This Is New
by MagzDD
Summary: Beast Boy finds another portal to Raven’s mind. This time, he finds something unusual…yet not totally undesirable. Not the cliche you think it is!19!
1. Excerpt

**_IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE YOU MUST READ FIRST:_** Hello. First TT fanfic, but not first fanfic EVER, especially romance. That being said, this story is overall a romance, with a cup of humor, and a tablespoon of drama. I don't claim to be an expert on the series, I've missed a FEW of the newer episodes, I didn't read the comics, and sometimes, people might get a LITTLE bit OOC. This plot is NOT the cliché you think it is! I SWEAR it's got a twist! I hope you enjoy, and let it be known that I do NOT own TT! .

This is not Chapter one, this is an Excerpt that will show up in a later chapter. Chapter one is coming SHORTLY:D

Beast Boy leaned back in the chair, and swiveled so the back of the chair was facing the table. "Let's just say my day wasn't so hot."

Raven reached around the chair, and massaged his shoulders. Her touch was definitely enjoyable, since his muscles had tensed and become as hard as the supposed muscles Raven adored so much. "Aw! Well, tell me about it. Maybe I can…make you feel better?"

He pretended to ignore her obvious innuendo. "I got in a fight with you…AGAIN, Cyborg whooped my tail in RaceX-20, and what's worse, I got even more whooped by a little guy who was the first kid to have 'crud,' as his first word."

"Life is so stressful isn't it?" Raven's arm's slid lower down his chest…lower…lower…did she crawl on the table or something?

"Uh…it can be."

Her hands were beginning to get a little too low for Beast Boy, so he grabbed them, and so he wouldn't offend her, gently kissed her fingers. "Tell me about your bad day," he said, his voice unusually high, yet understandable, given the uncomfortable situation.

"I was so alone today. It felt like…I don't know, everything was empty, all of it was a blur."

Beast Boy felt the stir of pity deep in his stomach. "I'm sorry. How come?"

Raven swiftly flew around so she was facing Beast Boy, and in the instance of a blink, Raven was straddling his lap on the chair. "I didn't have you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and was leaning in quite close, her reddish cape was enveloping his face as she tried to lean in for a kiss. He put a finger on her lips, knowing he didn't want this. Her eyes opened, and she leaned back, her eyes shining with disappointment…or was that tears?

"What's wrong Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy tried to think quickly. He should be able to do this! As a jokester, he had an instinctively quick wit, and it got even quicker when he was in battle since he had to think to transform. But now, his mind was boggled.

"Uh…Raven? This isn't about you, it's uh…" He looked down, trying to look at his lap, but instead, he saw Raven's smooth thighs, and in a bizarre way, a thought finally popped into his head. "It is you actually…you see…I can't kiss you, until I _kiss you_…morally it just doesn't seem right…get it?"

Raven smiled, and giggled as her hands slid down his chest, this time, thankfully, stopping at his pecs. "I get it sweetie. Just make sure you kiss me very soon."

She leaned in, this time, to his ear. "Because I can't wait much longer."

Beast Boy chuckled nervously. "Hehe…yeah…neither can I."

Suddenly, Raven disappeared, just as a wide door opened. "Beast Boy! Finally!"

He blushed, hoping his new guest saw only him. "Sorry Raven."

She looked around suspiciously, and a delicate purple brow rose. "I've been looking all over for you! And I thought I heard someone talking. Was one of my emotions in here?"

Blinking, Beast Boy's eyes rolled up. "No…I don't think so."

Raven looked skeptical, but she dropped it. "Look, I've told you over and over…stay OUT **OF** **_MY_** **_MIND_**!"

Raven quite mad at him now, and it was quite refreshing, since she'd been doing nothing but dote on him lately. "Now come on, before one of my other emotions end up visiting you."

Beast boy rose from the chair, irritated. "I already to you, I wasn't talking to an emotion! I was talking to myself."

Raven blinked. "You're more of a weirdo than I thought," she said, and made an abrupt about-face as she left.

Then again…

Beast Boy turned his head towards the shadow, where the other Raven was hiding. She smiled at him, and blew a kiss from her darkened position, and mouthed, "Soon!"

Maybe it wasn't so bad being doted on…

He blew her a kiss back, and winked before he left.

(I hope you like this! I'm new to this competitive field, so please go easy on me. All 'goof ups' are intentional, except for certain grammar and spelling.)

Magz.


	2. Smarter than the Average Beast Boy

Chapter One (A/N: I updated quickly because inspiration would not stop. Wider breaks between updates are in the future.)

Beast Boy touched his toes, flinching as he did so. He was aching unusually painfully today, but like the rest of the titans, they had to exercise for at least one hour. And he groaned as he looked at the clock, realizing he had only been in the gym for ten minutes. He had already confirmed that he was doing nothing but toe touching.

That thought in mind, Beast Boy grinned, and thought of an octopus. His form rapidly changed to that of his musings. Chuckling to himself, he lifted each toe to his rounded head, extremely quickly. Amazingly, taking this way, an hour came and went.

He yawned, changed back to his normal form, and exited the gym. He marched happily to the kitchen/living room section of the tower. Beast Boy started humming a tune. He opened the refrigerator, and reached for the tofu. When it wasn't in the usual place, he checked around, scavenging the fridge, even the freezer, and he let out a panicked yelp when he came out empty handed. "No! The tofu! My tofu!" He rechecked every food container as he rambled. "Where the heck is the tofu? WHO DID WHAT WITH MY TOFU?"

"I'm to assume, you ate it," said a quiet voice.

Beast Boy faced Raven with a sour look as she slowly ascended the small number of steps. "Of course, this is why you should never assume." Raven went to the bookshelf on the other side of the room, selected a novel, perched herself on the couch near the shelf, and opened the book over her face to read.

Beast Boy shook his fist at Raven, and raised a finger in the air. "Dude! I'm serious! I had tofu leftover last night, and now it's gone!"

Raven's eyes peeked over the top of the book, making Beast Boy face a raised eyebrow. "And who, in this entire tower, likes tofu, besides you?"

Beast boy helplessly held out his arms. "No one! That's just it. Nobody besides me likes the taste of tofu! But I…" Realization crossed over Beast Boy's face. "SILKIEEE!"

A snoring larva stretched out its little cylindrical body, and blinked a couple times before Beast Boy walked over and picked him up. "Silkie?" Beast boy asked in a pleading voice. "Did someone eat the tofu I left in the fridge last night?"

A loud belch in Beast Boy's face that practically shook the room answered his question. "Tofu breathe." He placed Silkie gently on the couch. "Great, now what can I eat?" A bright light bulb flashed above his head. "I got it!"

Raven lowered the book, watching Beast Boy busily take out several spices from the cupboard, and also, many different ingredients from the fridge. Including milk and a watermelon.

Curiosity, one of the many emotions she tried not to associate with, reared its head suddenly and unexpectedly. "Hey Beast Boy, why aren't you a vegan?"

Beast Boy looked up only for a second, and shrugged while digging for food. "I don't know. I guess I like certain foods with milk too much."

Raven looked away, nodded, raised the book again, and continued to read.

The electronic doors slid open, and Robin stretched as he entered. "Good morning."

"Morning," Raven said quietly.

"Mornin' Dude!" Beast Boy said cheerfully, from his perch at the kitchen counter.

"Whatcha making Beast Boy?" Robin said, sitting at a bar stool on the counter.

"I'm not really sure. I just kind of took out some food and stuff and started improvising."

"We couldn't tell."

Beast Boy turned, wrinkling his nose at Raven before looking back at his bubbling concoction. "Let's see…looks like it needs some peanut butter." Beast Boy emptied the jar, and stirred up the mixture.

He turned off the stove, and after he was sure it had cooled down. Beast Boy sampled some with the spoon. "Mmm…Not bad."

Raven's eyes were wide with disgust. "Congratulations. You're a master chef."

Beast Boy appeared with a bowl right in front of her, putting her book aside. "Come on! Don't knock it until you tried it."

Even though whatever it was did smell appetizing, the dark green, blobby appearance was not. "No thanks."

Beast Boy unexpectedly poked the spoon into her mouth, and pulled it out quickly. Raven chewed bitterly, expecting foul tasting goo. Instead, she got a mixture of sweet and tang. She swallowed after a while. "Not bad."

"See! I know what I'm talking about!" Beast Boy zapped back to the cupboards, setting out plates, and distributing the food.

Raven eyed Beast Boy for a moment. How was it possible that one person could contain such boundless energy…perhaps it was his ability that gave him such…vigor. He was almost always happy, even in the face of the most adverse situations. Raven blinked, her focus on Beast Boy gone. '_As his eyes rose to the light, he let out a cry, the blood crusting on his fingers_.'

Beast Boy started humming again after he finished what he decided to call, 'Gloppity Goodness.'

He took out a toothpick for the seeds from the watermelon, and twirled in the bar stool as Robin ate the new dish. His first site was Raven. Her lids were now low over her eyes as they shifted back and forth over the text. It amazed, and disappointed him that she was able to keep all her feelings under lock. The emotion she tended to display the most of was annoyance.

Spitting out the toothpick, Beast Boy leapt over to the couch, and held up the portable gaming controller. "Who's ready to get their butt whooped by a master game player?"

The doors slid open as Beast Boy spoke.

"I hope you are man!" Cyborg said gamely. He took his plate, scarfed it down instantly, and grabbed his controller, then he and Beast Boy fell back on the couch in unison.

A few hours later, Raven glanced up at the scenery around her. The counter was empty, because everyone had gathered at the couch to play/watch video games. She set the book down in confusion. What was so amusing about that game? She herself managed to stay entertained by playing chess. Usually with herself, sometimes Robin, and on occasion, Cyborg. Then again, she had played Stankball once or twice with Cyborg and Beast Boy…and that had been enjoyable.

But this game…it seemed to be mindless blather. Well, to each his own. No matter how ridiculous 'his own' was.

Raven's thoughts were disrupted as Beast Boy reluctantly made his way away from the TV. He stopped to blink at Raven. "What?"

"Nothing." She lifted her book again.

Beast Boy blinked again. Raven could be such an enigma when she wanted to be; which was pretty much all the time. Grinning, Beast Boy took a few steps towards Raven, and plopped down onto the floor, sitting in a classic yoga position, his grin never leaving from his face. He stared at the book, until Raven realized that he hadn't moved. She slowly lowered the book again. "What?"

Beast Boy grinned cheekily. "Nothing."

Raven slammed the book shut with both hands. "What are you doing down there?"

"I'm just sitting here. Whatchya readin'?"

"A gory gothic book you wouldn't find remotely appealing."

Beast Boy wrinkled his nose again. "Come on!" He tilted his head to read the title. "_The…Wizard &…the…Light_? What's this?"

Raven bristled. "It's a book."

Beast Boy looked up from the title. "About what?"

Raven sighed. "It's about a Wizard who starts questioning the worth of life and love."

Beast Boy's brows furrowed. "Why?"

She got up from her seat. "He just has some spare time on his hands, and he's very lonely."

"Why?"

"He just DOES okay?" Raven said, her voice rising in volume as she quickly left the room.

Beast Boy's perky green ears fell. He didn't really didn't mean to bug Raven, he was just trying to get interested. Quickly, Beast Boy leapt from the floor, and went to the hall, and tried to follow Raven. "Raven, wait up! Raven! Raven!"

He finally managed to catch up. "Look, Raven, I wasn't trying to make you mad this time. It's just that I was wondering why the wizard was all lonely and stuff."

Raven finally stopped. She didn't turn to talk to Beast Boy as she spoke. "He hadn't known love in a very long time."

Beast Boy turned to her. "So what does all this have to do with light?"

She brought her chin lower. "It's a reference to the end of the story."

He looked down, noticing Raven's very slight grip on the book. Smirking, he transformed into a small chimp, and snatched the book away, and changed back, all in the matter of three seconds.

Raven grasped air for a moment, looked at her hand, and glared at Beast Boy. "Hey, give that back!" As she pounced for the book, he cleverly side-stepped, making her lose her balance, but he caught her arm before she fell. She blinked at him, and her brows furrowed.

"Have you read this already?"

Raven's fist's clenched, and she forced herself to keep her annoyance under control. "Of course I have."

Beast Boy gave her a haughty look. "Then I just have one question…can I borrow it?"

Her mouth gaped open, and she tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"

He looked at the book title, thoughtfully this time. "Based on what you said, it sounds pretty good. I kind of want to see what happens."

Raven straightened, and bit her lip. This was very unusually. Beast Boy could read her books? Beast Boy could _read_?

Too stunned to think up a bad side, Raven said, "Uh, sure, go ahead."

He gave her a peace sign, and smiled. "Thanks Raven. I'll get it back."

Raven watched with undesired interest as Beast Boy walked away. Because of his forever humorous and happy-go-lucky attitude, Raven instinctively never thought about him as an intellectual. But as she watched him walk down the hall, and into his room, the book open to the first page, she began to consider if she could be wrong…

(Later.)

Raven sipped her tea, and looked around. Everyone had gathered around, waiting for the pizza to arrive. Everyone except Beast Boy, who was waiting outside for the delivery man to arrive. It appeared quite peculiar to Raven that the Pizza Slice company had an exclusive delivery boat for the Titan Tower. But she wasn't complaining. Perhaps it was their way of giving thanks for saving the city so often. She looked up at the antique cuckoo clock that Starfire insisted they buy. They all heard a motor outside about ten minutes ago, and for someone familiar to the tower, particularly Beast Boy, the trip up didn't take that long.

Finally, the doors to the kitchen/living room, and Raven looked up to see Beast Boy, aglow with excitement, the pizza in one hand, and her book in the other. He rushed over, and grinned. "Sorry that took so long, but I was almost done with a book and I couldn't put it down."

Raven dropped her tea cup saucer into her lap. She picked it up, and placed it on the table as he opened the box and the others dug in to their individual sections of the pie. "You're finished already?"

His eyes had an unusual gleam. "Yeah. I couldn't help it, the wizard guy was going through all these problems and things, and I just wanted to turn the page, over and over again!" He was being so cheerful; Starfire looked up at him from her mint-frosting pizza.

"What have you read Beast Boy? Please, tell us!"

Smirking, Raven reached for her pizza slice at last. At this point, she knew he would be stumped. He was probably just pretending to read it, for some weird reasons she'd probably never know. "Yes Beast Boy, tell them."

She was expecting him to stutter, and say something like, 'Oh, but…Raven knows it so much better, let her tell you,' and she was partially correct.

"Okay, I'm not as big as an expert as Raven is on all this stuff," Beast Boy began, just as Raven bent to bite the pizza, that had cheese ready to fall off the slice. "But this wizard, he's like, one of the best magical dudes in the land right? He's got money, a title, and all the ladies he wants!" His eyes grew wide with excitement at that point, the story he was telling casting an animated picture in everyone's mind. (A/N: By that, I mean when he told Starfire how he came about Silkie.)

"Anyway, even though he has all that, he begins to wonder if all the material stuff is worth all the love and happiness he lost trying to get where he is. So he actually begins thinking about killing himself! Can you believe it? Anyway, he looks at a candle by his throne, and gets tossed into a flashback. He thinks about being a baby, losing his mom when he was a kid, all the girl trouble as a teenager, and even when he almost got married! Then he's suddenly all alone, and there's only this tiny white light above his head.

"He's thinking to himself that there's nothing he can do to change his life right? So he starts talking to the light like so crazy guy or something. Suddenly, he says this freaky sounding spell or something, and he sees NOTHING…BUT…THE LIGHT!"

Robin, Star, and Cyborg were listening intently, not making a sound except for the munching of their slices. "Then suddenly, he comes back, and he's in his castle! On his throne! The whole thing was a dream! It ends with him running off the meet Azalea, the woman he ALMOST married!"

Everyone was silent, for almost three seconds, and then they glanced at each other, and laughed. Starfire began to clap. "That sounds marvelous Beast Boy!"

"Yeah, it sounds really interesting."

"Seriously dawg, no wonder the pizza was a little cold!"

"What do you think of this story Raven? Raven?"

Raven had her mouth open, just as wide as her eyes, and a glob of pizza cheese, olives, and sauce in her lap.

If you R, I hope you R too! Anyway, hope you enjoyed chapter one!


	3. Unexpected Demons

Chapter 2

"I mean it should have been obvious."

"Suicide was against his faith, and the laws set forth by the council."

"Exactly, it's amazing that nobody manages to catch on with all those hints they drop."

"That's foreshadowing Beast Boy."

"It is?"

Raven scoffed, and shook her head. "Don't try to be funny."

He stepped in front of her, and made a gun shape with his hands. "Who's trying? I _am_ funny!"

Raven stopped in her tracks, and cocked her head in a cynical tilt. "Right. You're _so_ hilarious."

Using his thumbs, Beast Boy pretended to shoot his gun hands; all the while making an annoying clicking sound with his mouth. "You know it!"

She made a sigh of distress, and opened her door. Just before she had fully gone inside, she paused, then turned around to face Beast Boy.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed the book." She was ready to shut the door when Beast Boy held it open.

"Wait a minute." He reached behind him, and held out her book. "Thanks for letting me borrow it. I really liked it."

Raven looked at Beast Boy for a moment, then to the book, and did the process again. She finally took it from him, and nodded. "You're welcome."

And she shut the door.

(Later.)

"Hm-h-h-hmmm-mm-hm-hmm-hmm…hmmm…hmm…hm…huh?"

The confused Tameranean stopped floating about the tower, something catching her eye.

That 'something' being a strange glass contraption on Beast Boys head. "Beast Boy?" He turned to her, the curve of the glass enlarging his eyes to frightening size, causing her to yelp. "EEP! Uh…Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?" His voice was louder and deeper due to the large glass contraption.

"Please, what is this…object you are wearing," Starfire questioned, walking up to him and knocking on the glass.

Beast Boy crossed his arms in a disgruntled manner. "I didn't mean to put it on! I was in my room, and I changed into a fish and I jumped into my fish bowl. Suddenly, I hear this weird noise in Ravens room, so I freaked out and changed back on accident. And…" Beast Boy began yanking on the bowl. "Now…" He pulled harder. "I…can't…" His face started to turn red from the lack of oxygen, even though he continued to try to talk. "GET IT OFF!" He turned blue, and fell back, his tongue sticking out of his mouth, and his eyes in the shape of X's.

Utilizing her super strength, but only a little bit, Starfire bent down, and knocked on the glass again, breaking it instantly, and she delicately removed all the large glass shards off his face. "Why did you change to a fish Beast Boy? And what was the noise you heard that panicked you so?"

He gasped, and sat up instantly. "I just changed to a fish because I felt like it…I don't know what that noise was though. I was actually going to go to Ravens room to ask."

Starfire held out her hand, and pulled Beast Boy up, all the while glancing at Ravens door. "Well then, shall we enter Ravens room to discover what has caused the noise?"

Beast boy inquisitively looked towards Ravens door. "Let's."

(In Ravens Room.)

Raven had her eyes closed too tight, her clothes were too tight today, she felt heavier, and she was irritated beyond belief. So then why was she trying so hard to meditate? Sighing, she dropped from her levitated state, but didn't move other than grabbing her ankles. If there was one thing that she could hate about herself, it was the thing all females went through: her _friend_. She grumbled at the idea. Raven knew that everyone hated it, but she had it worse than anyone.

During her cycle, she was particularly vulnerable to emotion, as was everyone else. But not everybody else had dangerous powers that could destroy anything and everything like she did. She'd already knocked one of her favorite wooden raven dolls to the floor. And on top of that, the normal symptoms that came with it weren't exactly enjoyable either. Taking a deep breath, Raven tried reason. "Just remember, it'll all be over in the next few days. Just…relax…focus…"

She tried to calm down to the point where she could meditate. Just as she opened her mouth to start chanting, there was a pounding on her door. "RAVEN! RAVEN OPEN UP!"

Struck off-balance by the loud noise, she fell back, her head on the floor while her back rested against the air with her legs swung in the air. She growled out her anger, flipped around, and sped towards her door, and despite her anger, she only opened it a crack. "What!?"

At her angered tone, Starfire and Beast Boy jumped a little, but Beast Boy scratched the back of his head, his nervousness apparent. "Um…we were just wondering what the noise was all about."

Raven looked back into her room, finding nothing that could make noise…until she noticed the doll on the floor. "Something just fell off the shelf. No big deal." And with that, she attempted to shut her door until Starfire stopped her.

"But…Raven, it was unusually loud, and you have a carpet floor, yes?"

"Yes."

Beast Boy looked confused, an eyebrow raised, the orbs underneath wide and wondering. "So…how come it was so loud?"

Raven eyed Beast Boy. His face was adorable when he got confused…WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!?

A flush came over her cheeks, and she used her one free hand to cover her face by closing both sides of her hood together. "It was wood and it's not hallowed. That's it." And she slammed the door in their faces.

As soon as her door lock clicked, Raven flipped around, her back to the door, and she cupped her cheeks. She hadn't felt those feelings about her friends…in fact, there was only one person who really managed to stir her romantic interests…and he turned out to be evil.

She knew her friends better than that…they would never betray her should she try…WAIT A MINUTE! She wasn't thinking of ANYONE romantically. It was just that for a moment she found Beast Boy attractive. It was probably nothing more than her raging hormones. Taking a deep breath again, Raven stalked over to her bed, and sat cross-legged, attempting to meditate again.

But this time, it wasn't her friend that was stopping her…

(Living Room.)

Beast Boy smiled as he chatted with Starfire. She was so naïve, yet so wise in some ways, it was really refreshing to talk with her. He was about to respond her to question of what a 'magic marker' was, when the alert went off on his belt, and her wrists. They looked up to see the monitor flashing a red signal near the park of the Jump City map.

Rushing forward, they eyed Robin, typing commands into the keyboard. "I'm going to try to find a more narrowed down location."

Pressing the enter key twice, the map zoomed into the red dot on the map, until it showed the exact latitude, longitude, temperature, and wind-speed of the criminals location. Also listed, the crime they committed. "Whoa! Dude, since when can this thing do that?"

Cyborg's eyes didn't leave the screen as he talked to Beast Boy. "I created a software update for the Teen Titan's main-frame. Working like a charm wouldn't you say?" His voice reeked with pride as he finally turned to Beast Boy.

Still watching the computer display, Beast Boy replied, dumbfounded. "Uh…yeah."

"What's going on?"

They turned to face Raven as she finally entered the room.

"A thief in the park. Stolen is…" Robin typed in some more commands, and continued. "A pearl necklace, a diamond watch, a pair of solid gold earrings, a chrome jeweled broach, and an onyx bracelet. The report says everything's been stolen from the Jewelry store on 55th."

Starfire gasped, and pointed angrily at the screen. "This villain must be stopped! Julia's Jewelry is the finest jewelry store in this city!" As Starfire spoke of the store, she pictured herself, decked out in large pearls, a beautiful dress, with lovely hair, and---

"And you know this becaaause?" Raven questioned, much in the same way she questioned Soto's dog as to why he would not speak to them when they first encountered each other.

Starfire blushed, and embarrassingly rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, I had sometimes observed the 'Home Shopping Network,' and I noticed these tiny words at the bottom. They said 'Available by your local jewelers,' so I---"

"We'll discuss that later. Titans, MOVE OUT!" The leader commanded, and just like that, everyone had exited. Cyborg to the T-car; Raven, Beast Boy, (now a hawk,) and Starfire to the flight exit on the roof; and Robin to the R-cycle.

Once they all rendezvoused at the park, they split up in search of the thief. They caught occasional glimpses of a gaudy pink and orange, and they each tried to track it down. Beast Boy and Cyborg tried to follow it to a tree, not noticing each other until they bumped into each other on the other side.

"Ow! What the heck is your head made of BB?" Cyborg said, painfully rubbing his head.

Beast Boy wrinkled his nose at Cyborg, and got up, changing into a wolf. Sniffing the air, Beast Boy tracked the ground, and catching onto a scent, he howled loudly, then ran in the direction that his nose led.

Ten minutes later, everyone heard another howl, this time signaling that Beast Boy had found the culprit. They hurried in the direction of the howling, leading everyone to a fence that someone in a pink dress was trying to climb over. Each effort unsuccessful due to the fact that Beast Boy was yanking on the hem of her dress, trying to pull her back down; growling viciously with each yank.

"Good work Beast Boy!" Robin said, and used his Birdarang. It wrapped around the pink dress, causing it to fall to the grass.

Cautiously, everyone surrounded the dress, and looked down to see a lovely young woman with a short-skirted long-sleeved pink dress and bright orange hair. She was a little paler than Robin, about as tall as Cyborg, with Raven's haircut, Starfire's facial structure, and as her eyes snapped open, they discovered she had Beast Boy's eyes. (A/N: Healthy mix don't you think? :D) She groaned a little, then raised herself to her elbows, and rubbed her head. "Oh man! I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry. I've never robbed before. Here," she held out her hand, all of the stolen items resting on her palm, or dangling on her fingers. "These are the things I stole. I'm very sorry."

Quite recklessly, Raven bent down to retrieve the jewels, and paused when the thief closed her hand around the items. "Psyche!"

Suddenly, a raging fist of fire hurtled at Raven's face, and her head falling out of the way in the nick of time. The figure kicked Robin in the chin, and back-flipped to a stand. Her hands at her hips, she put the jewels in a pouch tied to her hip. "So, the Teen Titan's actually think they can beat the Demon Diva?"

"Certainly at names," Raven responded, her hands glowing in black aura.

Robin already had three Freeze Disc's clutched between his fingers, so he tossed them towards the self-titled 'Demon Diva.' Unfortunately, her hand struck out and burned them in mid-air, the ashes sprinkling the grass like confetti.

Cyborg shot his sonic cannon, hitting the Demon Diva right on the side. She screamed and fell, but quickly jumped up before Starfire's hurling star-bolts could attack.

Starfire grunted, and did a nose-dive towards the Demon Diva, who was busy trying to fight off a pesky cat that was circling her too rapidly for her to catch.

Demon Diva was suddenly eating dirt, her face deep in the earth. She spit it out, and tried to stand, but Starfire's boot was on her back. "Please, I do not wish to hurt you more. Surrender now!"

Snickering, the villain beneath her put her hand behind her back, and her hand suddenly shot fire at Starfire, shooting her into the air. Taking advantage, Demon Diva stood, and smirked. "You think you can beat the power of fire?" Spreading her hands up in the air, she began to form a flame force-field.

Thinking quickly, Raven looked around for a fire hydrant. Upon seeing one, she turned to get someone to help her. Cyborg and Robin were on their way to help raise Starfire.

Beast Boy thankfully didn't appear occupied. "Beast Boy! Come here, I've got an idea." The changeling ran over while Raven chanted. "_Azarath Metrion Zinthos!_"

Becoming one with the hydrant, Raven broke the top, and watched as the water spurted high into the air, celebrating the release of pressure. She turned to tell Beast Boy what her idea was, but, always the quick thinker, Beast Boy had already shifted into an elephant, and was using his trunk to suck up water from the side of the spouting hydrant.

Raven turned to the Demon Diva, noticing that the force field she was building was almost complete. Gasping, Raven shot out her hands, and the black aura surrounding them shot to the field that Demon Diva was trying to build. She tried to use her powers to pull down the field, while the Diva was attempting to raise it, her eyes glowing bright yellow.

For someone who had terrible problems coming up with names, Demon Diva was actually quite powerful with her control of the fire. "Anytime today Beast Boy!"

Charging forward, the elephant Beast Boy had morphed into was shooting a massive amount of water from his trunk, aiming it directly at Demon Diva.

"Ahhhhh-a!" She was suddenly jerked out of her own force-field, the tremendous force of the water knocking her to the ground...and her force field in Raven's direction.

Much as in a game of tug-of-war, whenever two telekinetically gifted forms tried to pull something to themselves, force was applied to the 'something' in question. Whenever one of the forms suddenly let go, the one who hadn't let go would fall back, weak from the use of excessive force. And the 'something' would follow in the same direction.

Raven's eyes widened from her spot on the ground as the field of her energy and Demon Diva's mercilessly rolled to her. Whatever got in its way, it plowed through. Trembling in fear, she braced for impact, closing her eyes and trying to shield herself with her cape.

Two muscular, and large hands picked her up, and Raven felt herself rolling away from the path of the energy ball, causing her hood to fall back. She cringed as she rolled over some pebbles and twigs, one of them catching on her leotard and ripping it until it pierced the skin. She groaned a little bit, so the figure covered her in its arms, defending her against some of the sticks and pebbles.

But she still clutched the protective figure, which suddenly felt a lot smaller than the originally large hands had implicated it to be. Once the path they were rolling in was obstructed by a large stone, the figure sat up.

Raven opened her eyes, and looked up, the sun glaring directly in her face. She squinted, and shielded her eyes by putting her hand to her brow.

She gasped at what she saw.

Beast Boy was breathing deeply, his face coated in sweat, making a thin sheen across his face. From this new perspective, she noticed his chest and shoulders expanded to handsome lengths, his deep breathing causing a sexy rise-and fall of his muscles. He was facing away from her, giving her a delicious view of his well-formed face. His hair blew off his face in the wind, and he squinted a second to wipe the sweat from his brow. Once his eyes were fully-opened again, Raven took her time to admire the brave determination in them. He had that look quite often in battle, but never before had it seemed so appealing. All of that combined with his figure being surround by the sun light, made him look so…_breathtaking_…

Raven continued to eye him, an unfamiliar blush rising to her cheeks. Tilting her head, her eyes filled with the even more foreign glaze of admiration, her mouth agape.

Suddenly, he looked down, and she snapped back into reality, and the unusual position they were laying in. He was sitting on his feet and knees, and his knees were slightly pushing on her waist. One of her hands was still grasping his shirt while her other hand rested on her upper thigh, for Beast Boy already had one of his hands on her lower thigh. His other arm was wrapped around her shoulders.

Taking deep breaths, Raven tried to organize her jumbled thoughts. Once it occurred to her what she had just called her friend, mortification overwhelmed her, along with a bright shade of red that spread everywhere on her face, including her ears and neck.

"Raven? What's wrong? We just kicked Demon what's-her-name's butt!"

His cheerful smile, full of white teeth, lit the breathtaking face.

There it was again!

"Rave? Why are you blushing?"

The fact that he'd noticed, only encouraged the blush to spread to her chest and arms. Raven quickly let go of his shirt, and leapt up, covering her face with her cape again, her eyes peeking over her arm. "Good! You guys can put her in jail; I'm going back to the tower."

His confused face blinked up at her from his place at the grass. 'He's so adorable like that!'

AGAIN!!!

Infuriated, and feeling the blush spread to her stomach and hands, Raven twirled away, and was about to fly off, when the stone tripped her, making her fall flat on her face.

"Whoa! Raven, are you okay?"

"Mmm foyine." Raven muttered, her face mashed to the rocks. After she rose, and dusted herself off, Raven began her flight back to the tower.

Once she made it, she hung her filthy cape on a rack inside her room, selected a book from her shelf, picked out a random page, and plopped down on her bed to read it. At the second sentence, Raven finally acknowledged that the blush was still there, and was now reddening every bit of her body.


	4. The Deal

Chapter 3

Beast Boy tilted his head as he watched Raven fly off. She looked really embarrassed. Since when did Raven get embarrassed?

And what could she be embarrassed about?

He turned around, and watched as the cops cuffed the Demon Diva. One of them gave her a peculiar look. "Judy Anne! How many times do I have to tell you not to steal things?"

Her head shot up. "Dad, don't call me that! I have special powers, I should be allowed to have a special name! Let me go!"

Her dad cuffed her himself, and brought her into the car. "You better hope they're easy on you at the station young lady, because when we get home you'll be in more trouble than you can imagine!"

The Teen Titans laughed as the police drove her away. Starfire clapped. "We are victorious! Shall we partake in celebrating the defeat of our foe?"

"Sounds good, why don't we go get some pizza and bring it back to the tower?" Robin said, brushing the dust from his cape.

Beast Boy rose from his place at the rocks, and went over to where the rest of the team was standing. "Awesome! I'm gonna rent us a movie!"

With that, Beast Boy changed into an eagle, and flew off, hearing his friends yell out as he left. "Better be good Beast Boy!"

He flew through the clouds above the city, the moisture creating thin dew across his feathers. Beast Boy closed his eyes for a moment, treasuring the easy transportation of gliding flight. Eagles tended to soar more than they flapped their wings, so his arms didn't get as tired, and he could take more time to enjoy the cleaner air. He lowered himself a little bit, so he was flying just underneath the clouds. Flapping his wings to gain speed, his sharp eyes looked below, trying to find the rental store. The city was a remarkable place. Already dusk was approaching, and the cars had their lights on. The oranges, pinks, and yellows seemed to glow in the air. He turned his head towards the sunset. The clouds covered the sun just enough that the rays shined out in all directions. It was so beautiful…the others didn't know what they were missing.

(Tower.)

Raven pulled her hood back as she watched the sun sink into the horizon. The others didn't know what they were missing. The sun was almost out of the sky, and some of the stars were already twinkling. Raven stood on the tower, leaning against the volleyball net. The roof was a good place for one to clear the mind. The Titan's usually preferred their rooms, but they each took a little corner of the Tower to vent: Starfire usually went to the kitchen, and ended up coming out with some bizarre new creation; Cyborg would go to the garage so he could make improvements on the T-sub and T-car; Robin took either the evidence room, or the training room; Beast Boy took the TV or the very edge of the rocks on Titan's Island; and Raven would take the roof. The roof was more of a public choice, seeing as how everyone went there at some point. In fact…

"NIGHT VOLLEYBALL!!!" Cyborg shouted. He was followed by Starfire and Robin, Starfire carrying up a steaming pizza box.

Raven shook her head, sighed, and walked to the edge of the Tower roof. She sat down cross-legged, and closed her eyes. Finding her center, focusing, Raven began to chant. "_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…_"

"Come on Raven! We need another player cuz BB ain't back yet!"

Opening one eye, Raven tried to respond nicely. "Not my game, thanks."

"It doesn't work with just three people," Robin complained, gesturing himself and the other two Titans.

Raven didn't respond to that, only closed her eyes. Starfire felt sorry for her lonely friend, so she opened the pizza box, gave the designated sections of the pie to the boys, and floated over to Raven, sitting in the same position. When Raven noticed her, a brow went up. "I thought perhaps we could meditate again. And should we get hungry, we can have pizza while we meditate, yes?"

Raven eyed the pizza, and shrugged, then used her telekinesis to raise her piece into the air, and meditated, the back of her mind controlling the pizza. After about ten minutes, her section was gone. When she noticed Starfire had eaten her own and joined the boys, she didn't know whether to be hurt or happy…happy. After all, she did want her privacy, particularly when she was meditating.

But she wasn't meditating anymore. Her eyes opened as the shadowy clouds took over what was left of the light in the sky. It was getting quite dark…where was Beast Boy anyway? He didn't normally miss chances to participate in group activities. She opened her eye again, and turned to her friends. "Where's Beast Boy?"

Robin just shot a spike at Cyborg, who groaned in anger as Starfire lifted another finger to Robin's score. From the look on Starfire's hands, it was five to one. "He said he'd rent us a movie. I don't know what he's renting, so long as it's good. Rgh!"

He volleyed the serve Cyborg shot, and Starfire turned to her friend after she lifted a finger. "I am sure Beast Boy is well. Since this is Saturday, there is probably a long line at the movie store, yes?"

Raven shrugged, then turned back around and closed her eye. This time, she tried to meditate some more. After another two minutes, her eye opened. She noticed something a little unusual this time. There was a black speck, high up in the sky headed towards her face. Raven opened both eyes. It was getting larger, and strangely shaped. "What is that?"

"It's headed straight for us! Titans! Get ready!"

Raven brought her feet to the ground, and took up a fighting stance. To state Robin's general statement more specifically, it was headed straight for _her_.

The thing coming their way was starting to spin as it got closer. Raven squinted to get a better view, and she noticed that is was an eagle…a _green_ eagle! Taking flight, Raven sped into the air to reach him. Just a few feet below him she stopped, and made fists, ready to catch him with her powers. But he fell to fast, and before her powers could get a grip on him, he landed smack dab in her stomach, knocking her off balance. "Ugh!"

She covered him just in time, as she hit the top of the tower, full-force. A stab of pain shot through her when she hit the roof, but she ignored it, and opened her arms. The green eagle was attempting to open its beak, the left nostril bleeding. Before she knew what he as going to do, he changed back to his normal form right where he was, ending up with him straddling her lap, and considering her hormonal status, wasn't a very comfortable position…

She could feel the heat rising up in her cheeks again, and her lip trembled. "BeastBoygetoffme," she grumbled impatiently.

He laughed a little, not seeing the seriousness of their situation. "Sorry about the landing." He wiped the blood from his nose on his sleeve. "But I got in a big argument about this guy who was trying to take the movie _I_ saw _first_!"

"So did you get the movie?" Robin asked.

Ravens head sunk deeper into the hood of her cape. It probably would have been a much more awkward situation if they were alone, since she would have means and…oppor…tunity…

'To do what,' she asked herself furiously, praying that she couldn't find an answer. This place was new to her. The word 'straddling' had only needed to be mentioned in the books she read. For things such as horse-back riding…or…

She almost squealed at the revolting thought, and quickly slid out from underneath Beast Boy, and stood up. He laughed at her some more, and for that, she gave him a sour glare, trying to conceal how cute he looked when he laughed.

Cute? _Adj. cut-er, cut-est; cewt: being adorably attractive_. Since when did she say _that_? (A/N: I know she said it in Betrothed, but she meant it sarcastically, this time it's a compliment.)

"You betcha! And I guarantee, it'll blow your mind!" His voice took on a very tedious 'sing-song' tone. He pulled a tape from his back pocket. "Zombie Eatfest VI: The Exclusive Special Edition!"

"Whatever, I'm going to my room," Raven said, making her way towards the stairs.

"Aw! Come on Raven, it's Movie Night! We can't start a movie without everybody! Just bring along a book or something." Beast Boy grabbed his pizza and ate it in just one bite, finishing with a satisfied smile and a loud, "ERRRRRRRRRP."

Resisting the urge to shudder, Raven turned around briefly to address Beast Boy. "We'll see," and without a further word to confirm whether or not she would watch the movie, she went downstairs to her room.

(Later)

"_So NEXT TIME, don't try to hide…don't try to run…just accept your fate today…as tomorrow's dinner_."

A scream echoed from the big screen TV, and the words '_Fin_' displayed in blood with the credits. Starfire shuddered. "I do not believe the human brain would be very tasty."

As Beast Boy turned the tape off and stuck it back in the case, he said, "And that friends, is why I'm a vegetarian."

"Hey, people don't eat brains."

"Of baby cows they do! Some poor calf out there was tortured until they cracked its skull open and took out a brain for those people in France to eat! Nasty people! It's bad enough they eat snails!" (A/N: I hold none of these views of meat personally, merely trying to stay in character, and I for one adore France.)

"So then protest. No one's stopping you and I'm sure a lot of people would back you up," a voice said.

Stunned, they all turned to Raven, who had her nose nestled in a book. She looked up, and saw everyone staring at her. "What?"

"That was…oddly supportive." Robin said with some confusion.

Raven shrugged, and closed her book, then walked away. "Good night."

"Uh…good night."

"Night."

"g'night."

"Sleep well my friend!"

(Later.)

"_Have no fear Raven. You are beautiful, you can destroy anything," Raven took a deep breath, and chanted her spell, casting upon everything around her. When she looked up, everything was destroyed. The Tower was nothing but dust, the city was a waste-land, and the sea was blood._

_"Noo!" Raven clutched her ears._

_"Yes, my darling. We can destroy the world…together…"_

_A hand landed on Raven's shoulder. A hand she recognized any day. She whipped it off, and turned around. Malchior smiled over his mask. "I'll never do anything with you! You almost killed my friends!"_

_She went for him, but he disintegrated and she growled when she heard the laughing from behind her. She swung at him again, and again, and again, until tears began to form. "Leave me alone!"_

_Raven felt warm arms encircle her. "Go away Malchior!"_

_"It's Beast Boy Rae."_

_She blushed, and looked up. Sure enough, Beast Boy was giving her that crooked smile. How did he get to be so tall?_

_"Rae?"_

_"You don't like it?"_

_"Oh no! I do…I like it…" Raven smiled, and snuggled against his warm chest. The vast waste-land around her was suddenly changing into something beautiful…a wide, open plain, full of rainy skies. She liked it like that. Rain was peaceful, and a sign of tranquility. Not destruction, as so many people made it out to be. She looked up, and voiced her mind. "When did you get this tall?"_

_"Uh…" He didn't say anything more, merely reached into her cloak, grabbed her hips, and pulled her up. They were equal height._

_"Oh." Raven said, looking down at her exposed feet. She looked up, and saw Beast Boy's lips coming towards hers…_

"Ah!" Raven gasped, taking deep breaths. She touched her sweat-covered face. She wiped the sweat from her face, and put her hand over her heart. Surprisingly the part of her dream that affected her the most was with Malchior. He endangered all of her friends, and used her to do it.

Raven hugged her knees. She was quite thirsty, so maybe some herbal tea would ease her mind. She put her cloak on, but left her hood down. She made her way to the living room/kitchen. When the automatic doors opened, she saw the light was already on. 'Oh no,' she moaned to herself.

"Hey Raven. What are you doing up?" Beast Boy said. He was sitting at the bar of the kitchen eating some ice cream straight from the tub.

"I just wanted to make some herbal tea." Raven made her way over to the cabinet, and got down her kettle to boil the water.

"At this hour?"

Raven's brow rose, and upon seeing 2:30 on the cuckoo clock, said, "Oh."

"What woke you up?"

Raven turned away so Beast Boy wouldn't see her blush. "I had a dream about Malchior," she said, telling part of the truth, although she didn't understand why she felt compelled to tell him even that much.

"You still think about him?"

Raven shrugged while putting the kettle full of water onto the burner. "Not consciously. It's just a dream. It doesn't mean anything." Her heart pulled a little at the thought. A part of her missed feeling loved. Missed feeling appreciated in a romantic sense. But then she remembered what Malchior did to her, and what he almost did to her friends. No one hurt her friends and got away with it.

Beast Boy noticed the thoughtful silence Raven was feeling. "Want some ice cream?"

Raven turned around, looked at the tub of Superman (A/N: The best ice cream EVA!!!) and shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I'll just have some tea."

Beast Boy shrugged, and took his large spoon, digging into the ice cream. "You think you'll be okay? About Malchior?"

She bit her lip, and noticed that the water hadn't begun to boil. She had forgotten that Starfire accidentally burned some alien dish, and the mess landed directly on the burner. They needed someone to come in and fix it before the stove could start working again. "He didn't mean that much to me. He was just the first one I liked."

Beast Boy's ears drooped in sympathy. "You sure about the ice cream?"

Raven huffed. "I'll be fine I just---" Raven glanced at the kettle. "Oh...get me a spoon."  
Beast Boy smiled a little, his ears perking up again. He handed her an oversized spoon, similar to the one he was using, and offered her a seat beside him. Taking it, Raven dug into the ice cream, and tasted some. She must be depressed if she was going to food for comfort. The blend of the different ice cream flavors hit her taste buds, and she let out a pleased moan. "Good," she stated, her mouth still filled with the cold cream. He smiled at her and they spooned up some more from the tub they shared. "You know, I don't usually turn to food when I'm depressed."

"Ah! Here's an opening now." Beast Boy said happily, his voice full of discovery. "You admit that you have a problem!"

Raven attacked the ice cream with her spoon. "Hey, I don't remember you caring about someone then have them betray you and try to kill your friends."

Beast Boy gave her an incredulous look, and almost dropped his spoon. "Uh, HELLO! Worked with Slade, tried to rule the world, took over our city, **turned to stone**! Am I ringing any bells here!?" His voice came out sort of slow, as if he was trying to get to recollect the events for her.

She bent her head in shame. She had forgotten how much Beast Boy cared about Terra. When they first learned of Terra's betrayal, Raven didn't really consider the affect it would have on Beast Boy. She knew he cared about her, but she didn't really take it into account when it came time to take her down. Beast Boy was probably still hurting, the way she was over Malchior.

"Sorry."

They both had stopped eating, and were caught in a very uncomfortable silence. Beast Boy was the first to break it. "It's okay. When your heart breaks you don't really think about anything else." With that, he started eating again.

Raven started too, and tilted her head. "Ain't that the truth."

Beast Boy laughed, and made a rather unusual, yet astute observation. "It's weird. We both met someone we really liked, we trusted them, and two minutes later they're trying to endanger us and our friends,"

She turned to him, ice cream on the corner of her open mouth. "Do you know what 'endanger' means?"

Beast Boy smiled. "Star said it one time, and I didn't know what it meant, so I looked it up."

Raven glanced down at that. "You know, you're right. It's like we find someone we like, and we end up hurting our friends, and ourselves."

Beast Boy looked at her. "Exactly." He got Raven a napkin, and she blotted her face.

Raven sighed, and licked her spoon. "So what are we going to do about it?"

Beast Boy appeared to think about it for a moment. "How about from now on, if we like someone, we make sure it's someone we both know wont hurt the team? We'll be like protectors or something."

She turned to him. "How do we know they can't hurt the team?"

He glanced to the right. "Good point."

She reached deeper into the tub, as the ice cream was getting low. "How about we just swear off romantic emotions completely?"

He looked appalled at that. "No way. There's enough love pie for everyone to have a bite."

Wrinkling her nose at the cheesy line, Raven shook her head. "Pie, Beast boy?"

He smiled happily, and spooned up some ice cream. "Yeah. I mean, everyone's got to feel loved at some point. Maybe we didn't really _love_ Malchior and Terra. It was just our first time feeling like that, so we thought we were."

Raven thought for a moment, knowing he was going somewhere with this. "Go on," she pressed.

Beast Boy swallowed the ice cream in his mouth. "Maybe we could just swear off that kind of relationship, unless we really feel something special for someone. And if we do, then we'll have each other check the person out. So we can tell each other if we're entering something sinister, and if we should stop. That way we know our friends won't get hurt. We might, because it's a part of love, but our friends will be safe."

Talking with her mouth full of melting ice cream, Raven spoke over it. "We probably wouldn't be able to tell for sure though."

Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah, but at least we can try. It's better than watching Robin, Star, or Cyborg get hurt and knowing we caused it."

Raven thought about it. She could warn him of evil women he was dating, and vice-versa. The idea wasn't so bad, and it would help them ensure that their friends wouldn't get involved unless necessary. She looked at him, studied his eyes. They weren't bright and happy like they usually were. This time, they were dark, and full of thought. And she could already feel the sadness his aura was generating. "Your best ideas come at night then?" She asked him, being completely serious as she took another spoonful.

He smiled a little and spooned out his share again. "I guess so. Does that mean you'll go for it?"

She looked at him for another minute, then looked at her lick-clean spoon. "I suppose."

Beast Boy smiled, and held up his large spoon. "Sooo…Deal?"

She blinked, then offered him a very rare, very tiny, smile. "Deal," and their spoons clinked.


	5. Technology and Visions

Chapter 4 (A/N: The gadgets are improvised.)

Beast Boy held his pained stomach. That was the last time he went for ice cream late at night. It was the first time he had obeyed his late night cravings, and it was definitely his last.

He belched loudly, and smacked his chest with his fist. He yawned, and shook his head quickly to try to wake himself up. It wasn't until 3:00 that he finally managed to get to sleep last night. He and Raven had only stayed in the main room until the ice cream was gone. It was nice talking with her though. Who'd have though that Raven could be so vulnerable inside? She didn't open up to people well, particularly him, so he was quite surprised when she agreed to share the ice cream, and her insecurity.

Beast Boy had meant what he said about their deal. He had never really looked into his relationship with Terra. Ever since he found out that she was working for Slade, he tried not to think about her. But he didn't have much of a choice last night. He didn't mind much, it was just that he'd talked about Terra so little since she turned to stone that the entire issue alone seemed a stranger to him.

But maybe if he had been more cautious, then maybe the whole Terra situation wouldn't have happened. He sighed, then finally got out of bed. He looked at his clock. 11:30.

Yawning once more, Beast boy made his way out the door, then to the bathrooms. When he left he accidentally bumped into Cyborg, who was eager to play some one-on-one video game racing. Not even willing to joke about saying no, Beast Boy gladly followed Cyborg into the main room (A/N: I'm tired of typing out a long name.)

Since no one had bothered to go get the groceries, Beast Boy was still without Tofu. And that wasn't a very good situation considering it was Starfire's turn to make breakfast. Fortunately for him, there was plenty of his Gloppity Goodness. He got it out from the container it rested in inside the fridge, and unceremoniously dumped it into a throw-away cup, tossed in a spoon, and joined Cyborg.

No one else was in the room with them, but they could hear the loud grunting coming from the training room. Right after Cyborg pressed the button to turn the game on, the screen zapped out. "Aw! Come on!"

"Dude! What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! Robin's probably putting too much juice into the fight simulator again."

"Well, let's go tell him to turn it off! I want to be able to do something while I eat!"

(In the training room.)

Beast Boy looked through the glass at Robin. He was sweating and gritting his teeth, his stance cautious. As Beast Boy sucked the goo off the spoon, he checked the Player Choice Monitor. Of course, Slade was the virtual villain

He observed the mass of the metal walls behind the glass. It was a HUUUUUUGE room. The original gym was the one they typically exercised in, but for actually combat, they went to the new addition to the Tower: The Training Room. Beast Boy, still not completely understanding the room, he asked Cyborg, who showed him the setting options.

**Level One –** Number of Players

**Level Two –** Fight mode or Target Practice.

**Level Three (Target Mode) –** Choose starting target level and Progressive or repeat level.

**Level Four (Fight Mode) (Options depend on Level One choice) –** Player vs. Player mode or Player(s) vs. Virtual Opponent.

**Level Five (Fight Mode) (Optional, depending on Level Four choice) –** Virtual Opponent options and levels.

**Level Six –** Environment Settings

**Level Seven –** Trap/Ambush settings

Cyborg looked at Beast Boy after he had finished reading him all the levels and settings. "So, you get it?"

Beast Boy was sucking on the spoon he used to eat his Gloppity Goodness, his eyes wide. "Ummmb…Ohkhay."

Cyborg's face went as red as his mechanical eye. "Okay. These are Robin's current levels and settings: Level one, One Player; Level two, Fight Mode; Level Four, Player vs. Virtual Opponent; Level Five, Virtual Opponent Slade level 9; Level six, Environment Desert; Level Seven, Trap settings on Ambush settings off."

"Oh! Cool." Beast boy said excitedly. From their point of view, Robin was doing nothing but punching air. They heard a loud beeping, and Robin straightened with a slightly dissatisfied sigh. He exited the room, and wiped his brow.

He glanced at Cyborg with a tight lip. "Cyborg, is there anyway we can make it so our virtual opponents are a little more…realistic?"

"Realistic?"

"It's not really training if they disappear every time you throw a punch."

Understanding, Cyborg nodded, and typed in some stuff. "I've been workin on that. I made out a list for the stuff I need, but we haven't been to town."

Robin was using a fleece towel around his neck. "That reminds me. We need to go grocery shopping. We're out of a lot of stuff in the fridge and cabinets. Including ice cream."

"An Tothu."

Both Cyborg and Robin gave Beast Boy a peculiar look. "Huh," they said in unison.

He slurped on the spoon a little bit before pulling it out of his mouth. "And Tofu. We're out of Tofu."

"Oh," they said together.

Robin put the towel away, and opened the door to leave the Training Room, and held it open for his friends to leave. Beast Boy was followed by Cyborg, since Cyborg had to take a moment to shut down the room. "Well get the girls and we'll decide who's getting the groceries."

Beast Boy looked over at Robin and pursed his lips in annoyance. "Why is only one of us going?"

"Not one. Two. And we already know that no one's going to want to go. Why make everyone suffer?" Robin's voice practically reeked of reason.

"Okay, then why two?"

"We need a lot of stuff. One of us can't carry it alone."

"And I think I'm gonna add the stuff we need for the Training Room to the list." Cyborg chimed in. "That way it'll be done in one trip."

(The Main Room.)

Raven blew at the hair in her face, and turned the page. The hiss sounded from the electronic doors. She looked up and saw the boys come in. Choosing to ignore them, Raven continued to read. "Since we all know we need groceries and stuff, are there any volunteers to go to town?"

"Nope."

"Not now please. I am trying to write this 'recipe' down. With this 'How-To' cooking program, I think I will at last be able to perfect your Earthly ways of culinary preparation."

Everyone winced, but Raven was the one that spoke all their thoughts. "Let's hope so."

"Nobody's going to volunteer?" Robin asked persistently.

The entire room echoed in one big, "No."

Robin sighed, then he got out his Birdarang. "Come on." The room then echoed with a big groan, but everyone went to Robin, and circled the Birdarang that he was placing on the sturdy carpet. Once he stood, he looked around the circle. "Ready?" They nodded in response, and looked down at the hook. Robin pressed a button on his belt, causing the Birdarang to spin rapidly. "You all know how it is. Whoever the wings point to have to do the shopping." They waited for about twenty seconds, until the Birdarang very slowly came to a stop.

Beast Boy looked down with dismay as the left wing pointed a sharp edge at him from the floor. Since the person going with him was directly across from him, he looked up only slightly to check the shoes. Recognition hit as soon as he saw those violet 'elf-booties', and he looked up to meet her eyes. Raven's face didn't look altogether pleased, but it didn't look angry either.

Robin bent over while he spoke. "Okay you two, we'll see you when you get back, and there's a list on the refrigerator." He reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a wad of bills. "This should cover everything."

"And here's print-out of the stuff I'm gonna need for the Training Room." Cyborg told them, printing out a list from a slot in his arm, then handing it to Beast Boy after he accepted the money.

He looked at Raven as she got the grocery list from a spot where it was on the fridge, and walked over to her to check the grocery list. "There's a lot more stuff on here than there is on mine. We'll just do it together."

"Fine," Raven said, dead to the point, and deadpanned.

She spread her arms, and surrounded them both in black, and they launched, flying through the windows and into the city. Beast Boy crouched, knowing if he stood much longer he'd be sick. Knowing he was going somewhere was one thing, but not being able see anything, and only feeling movement was another thing.

When the blackness around them finally disappeared, they were on a sidewalk in the city. Beast Boy rose to his feet, and looked to his left, seeing a shop called '_Tech Tech Today!_' (A/N: I'm not sure if you get it, but that's a play from the joke 'To-to-TODAY JUNIOR!)

They entered the shop, and Beast Boy looked down at the list. "Uh…two metabahlic…orbit thingys…"

Raven peeked over his shoulder. "That's a metabolic orbital transmitter Beast Boy. And there's some right over there."

He looked in the direction Raven was pointing in, noticing some…blue lollipop thing. "Oh, cool. How do you know?"

She picked it up, and walked over to where the shopping baskets were, and dropped inside as she said, "Because I've been here before to help Cyborg shop. You should know too. You've shopped with him haven't you?"

Beast Boy shrugged, and looked at the next thing on the list. "Actually I just come with him for the mini-arcade in the corner."

Raven looked up from the basket she was levitating. "I should have guessed."

Beast Boy showed Raven the list. "Okay, I think I know this one. Does it say 'Holographic Materializing Adaptor'?"

She looked at the list, and then checked around the store. "Yes, well done. You managed to pronounce it."

Judging by the happy expression on his face, he couldn't tell she was being sarcastic. "Awesome! Okay, so where do you put those?" She looked up the signs hanging above the aisles, looking for aisle three. She floated over to it when she found it, carrying the basket with her mind. The aisle looked long, so she went down slowly and carefully. She checked the label on a mysteriously wrapped product, and tossed it over her shoulder to land in the basket.

"Okay Beast Boy. What's next on the list?" Raven turned around, and even left the aisle, but Beast Boy was no where to be found. "Beast Boy?" She raised her voice, but still no response. She knew there was only one place he could go. "Oh no," she moaned, and went to the very back corner of the store.

Sure enough, where she heard loud beeping electronic zapping and artificial explosions, she found Beast Boy. He was grunting at a screen, and was twisting a joy-stick while quickly pressing buttons. Walking over to him, Raven saw the title of the game, Mega Monkeys Quest 2, and mentally groaned. Where did people get such ridiculous titles?

Once she reached him, she eyed the screen. It was poorly animated compared to what he usually played at home, but he appeared to be having fun. When he should be helping her get Cyborg's supplies. "Beast Boy!"

"Aah!" He swerved the joy-stick, and the animated green monkey narrowly missed a large flashing fire-ball. His face turned away from the screen long enough to glare at Raven. "What'd you do that for? I almost got my life knocked out, and I've only got one left."

The serious way he took his gaming was almost laughable. "We were supposed to shop together! The least you could do is help me get it over with. Come on, if you're not willing to help, then you can handle the groceries on your own, and I'll get whatever Cyborg needs. Just give me the list."

Beast Boy started panting, his fingers pressing the buttons rather quickly, and his right thumb was tapping a button on top of the joy stick. "I can't, it's in my pocket."

Not seeing the difficulty, Raven continued. "So, just turn away from the game for five seconds."

He leaned in closer, his eyes getting wide, and his fingers faster. "I can't, I've almost beat the game!"

Impatiently, Raven put her hands on her hips, and began drumming her fingers on a jewel on her belt. "So play again later."

His fingers on the brink of smoking, he leaned so close to the screen that his breath fogged the glass. "I can't! I'm all out of quarters!"

At last frustrated, Raven threw up her hands. "SO PLAY IT SOME OTHER TIME! JUST GIVE ME THE LIST!"

A loud, systematic beeping erupted from the game. Raven brought her hands back in like they were on fire. It looked like it was in one piece, but it kept on making that noise. When the changeling turned to her, his eyes were wide, and his nose was a little squished from the glass. Defensively, Raven let her cloak cover her completely. "I didn't do anything."

If it was possible, his eyes got even bigger, almost bulging out of his head. "I know! I finally beat it! Yahoo!" His hands curled into fists, he brought his arms out, and Raven almost sighed with dismay when he began his classic 'Beast Boy Dance'. "Go Beast Boy, Go Beast Boy! You beat it! Broke the record! Oh yeah! Get down now! Woo!"

Raven closed her eyes, and relaxed, her patience regained. "Now, could you hand me the list?"

He stopped dancing long enough to respond. "Oh that's okay Raven. I'm done. I can help now."

Satisfied, Raven accepted the offer, and her eyes once again shifted to the game screen, that now had a weird monkey dancing on it with the words, "YOU GOT THE HIGH SCORE."

Shaking her head, she voiced her low opinion, "I really don't understand your appeal to these things."

He looked at the game, and smiled broadly. "It's fun. You've played before."

Her brow rose. "You glued the controller to my hands."

He spread his arms. "Well there you go! You didn't even try! Come on, I read one of your books."

"By your own choice," she reminded him.

"And I liked it didn't I?" He pointed out smugly.

"Um…yeahiguessso," Raven grumbled, angry that he beat her.

"So come on! You can't knock it until you've tried it." He took her hand, and had her stand in front of the video game.

Raven looked up, slightly nervous. This wasn't even the typical gaming station they had at the Tower. This was a dinky little arcade game, and she was nervous. A thought came into her head as she reached for the joy-stick, warm from Beast Boy's hands. "I don't have any money." He knelt down, and took off a shoe, and as he emptied it, he revealed two quarters. She gave him a suspicious glance as he fed the machine. "I thought you said you were out of quarters?"

He blushed, and looked at the screen. "I kinda made it up so I could keep playing."

"I couldn't tell. So what do I do?"

He pointed at the array of monkeys in front of them. "You gotta pick your monkey's color."

Her lip pursed. There wasn't a purple color, so she picked the blue. "Now what?"

"Just move the joy-stick and tap on it to put in your name." Raven lazily obeyed, and waited. Surprisingly, a set of instructions appeared before her, and she read them. While she did it, she put her fingers in the appropriate places. She tapped the joy-stick button, that supposedly signified 'start', and began playing.

Two minutes later, Beast Boy was actively involving himself. "You're going too far to the left! Get on the right! That's too far! There's a bomb there, what are you doing on the right, get on the left! Wait that's---"

"Either make up your mind or be quiet! I'm trying to collect the bananas!"

"But you're collecting the rotten ones!"

"What makes you think they're rotten?"

"They're BROWN Raven!"

She ignored him, and continued to play. She wasn't as excited as Beast Boy was, but surprisingly, she was feeling…challenged. It was hard getting the right items because everything was so packed together. Her right hand was hurting, her left fingers were red, and she was rigid. She wasn't doing badly but she clearly wasn't an expert. "Why wont this stick-thing move right!?" She tried moving it completely to the right, but the monkey only moved a little bit, causing her to land directly in the line of fire.

Beast Boy observed Raven playing. She didn't know much about playing, and she wasn't very excited about it, but she didn't seem to mind the game so much. He was glad she was willing to give it a chance. He looked down at her hand, and only her fingers were wrapped around the stick. "Well there's your problem! You're holding the stick wrong!" He put his fingers over hers, and made her curl around the stick with a complete fist. Suddenly, Raven gasped, and she almost looked mad, but she beat the level.

He let go of her hand, and smiled. "Alright! You beat the first level!" He held up his hand for a high-five.

Her head took on the sarcastic tilt. "Not gonna happen Beast Boy."

Frowning, Beast Boy looked at the screen. "Okay, this is your first boss. Brace yourself for one of the scariest monsters you'll ever see in all arcading!"

Raven waited, and upon seeing a large red blob, she responded. "Ooh. I'm so scared." Out of no where, the blob transformed into a disfigured demon, blotchy animated flame shooting from its body. Admittedly, it was quite creepy. "Oookay…weird."

Beast Boy smiled a little. "It's awesome isn't it? Now you just have to beat him."

"I gathered that. How do I do it?"

"You've gotta use the monkey shield you got to deflect the fireballs."

Raven twisted the joy-stick, and pressed a button to activate her shield. She was actually doing it well, and was dodging a good number of the attacks. Suddenly, fireballs appeared from behind her. "Hey, what are those? You didn't tell me about those."

Beast Boy leaned in closer to the screen, as if he were playing it himself. "You've gotta use your bonus magic to make the shield surround you."

She tried to press the button to activate the bonus, but her monkey was getting hit by the fireballs so she couldn't execute her move. "Why didn't you say that earlier?" Too late, Raven's shield activated, causing her to lose all her points, and her last life. Full of frustration, she pounded her fist on the games control panels. A black charge emerged from her hands, and shot into the machine. "Ah!" They both flinched as the machine blasted in front of them. Slowly, they uncovered their eyes, and saw that there was a large whole, clear through the machine. With an angered sigh, Raven left the arcade, and went farther in the shop until she found the person at the register.

She had a very bright smile on her face as Raven approached, Beast Boy trailing slowly behind. Raven put her hands on the clear counter. "I accidentally broke one of your machines. Just let me know how much I owe, and I'll make the payments."

The perky girl behind the register giggled, and twirled her curly blond hair in her fingers. "Naw! That wont be necessary Miss Raven! You and your boyfriend are TOTALLY off the hook."

Raven choked on her words, and stepped back from the counter.

Beast Boy stepped up, a slight blush on his face. "Uh, s'cuse me? We're SO not boyfriend and girlfriend. We're just friends."

The girl giggled again, and she leaned forward a little bit, her green eyes shining with mischief. "Oh sweeties, don't worry! My lips are sealed!"

Beast Boy put his hands on the desk, and leaned forward, so he was face to face with the clerk, her light freckles in plain view. "Lady, we're SERIOUSLY just friends!" He persisted.

She didn't seem to comprehend it at first, then she nodded. "Got it. Your FRIENDS!" Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I understand that!"

Neither of them were convinced. They looked at each other, slightly embarrassed, but Beast Boy laughed nervously, and put the list in his back pocket on the desk in front of the clerk. "Could you get us this stuff please? We need all of it except for the first two things."

She looked down, and smiled. "Of course!" Taking the list with her, the lady left to go get the things on the list, leaving Beast Boy and Raven in quite an awkward position.

They were both blushing, and Beast Boy stepped back from the counter, scratching the back of his head again. "Jeez…you'd figure people would know that we're just friends."

Raven looked a little mad under her cloak. "When the public sees two people together it's always the first assumption they make." She looked over at Beast Boy, and her look hardened. "No matter how false it is."

He backed off a little. "What's your deal? You don't need to snap."

Blushing even more, Raven turned away until the clerk came back, a basket in hand.

"I recognized the first two things on the list in this basket. Is it yours by any chance?"

Beast Boy leaned over to look in the basket, and saw the two things Raven had gotten earlier. "Yup. Thanks for getting it back."

She tilted her head, and smiled broadly, the white teeth in her mouth almost blue. Did she bleach her teeth or something? "Oh, it's no problem! I'm always ready to assist the heroes of my city! It's the least I can do!"

Raven looked up, her blush gone. "Anyway, I'd seriously like to pay you back. It's not right that you just let me off the hook for destroying one of your machines."

The clerk was busy entering the item prices into the cash register when she flapped her hand at Raven in a 'forget-it' gesture. "Raven darling, it's NO trouble! We were gonna trash that machine anyway because it was getting so dirty and dusty. You just saved us some gas money! Thanks a-million, girl!"

Raven blinked in surprise, and glanced at the floor, then back up. "Oh, well…alright then."

The clerk thumped a button with her middle finger, and announced the total with a smile. "$435.73!"

Beast Boy's jaw dropped to the top surface of the counter. "Whoa! How come techy stuff is always so expensive," he complained, getting the money out of his pocket.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Because the so-called 'techy stuff' is actually the product of hours of designing, testing, developing and building. All that work can't go unnoticed."

Beast Boy's brows furrowed in confusion. "Oookay." He took the change, and the bags. "Thanks miss!"

The clerk wiggled her fingers as the Titans walked out of the store. "Thanks for your business kids! Have a nice _friendly_ day!"

They flinched in unison at her choice of words, and turned around to confront her, but the door that led to the backroom was already swinging from being shut. Raven started back towards the counter. "Where're you goin'?" Beast Boy asked anxiously.

"To set that woman straight." Beast Boy yelped, and morphed into an octopus, wrapping a tentacle around Raven's waist, and pulling her back. She wriggled in his grasp, and looked at the beady black eyes. "What are you doing?"

Beast Boy changed back, and immediately got in her face. "Raven, the back room is NEVER a good place to go!"

She put her hands on her hips in exasperation, and asked, "Why is that?"

His eyes widened massively, and his arms flailed about. "HELLO! Don't you remember Newfu? You go into a back room, and you end up finding tons of cows and creepy little talking alien Tofu that makes a bunch of Bob's out of itself that make burgers out of THEMSELVES!" Beast Boy gasped deeply, and clutched his chest to regain his normal breathing.

Raven's arms crossed, and sighed, watching his blue face turn green again. "Don't be so suspicious. How many times can that happen in one lifetime?"

Beast Boy stopped his heavy breathing, and his arms started flailing again. "I don't know, and I _don't_ want to find out! Why is it such a big deal?"

Raven gave him a look like he had just grown two heads. "You don't care if someone thinks we're a couple?"

Beast Boy shrugged, and picked up the bag that he had dropped when he turned into an octopus. "From the look on her face, I think she just believes we're at a hard time in our relationship." He began to leave, and turned his head to look back at Raven. "By the way, why did you jolt before?"

She stopped in her tracks, and her eyes shifted. "What do you mean?"

By that time, she had resumed pace, and was walking just a little bit behind him so he couldn't see her blush. "You know, when I tried to help you with the joy-stick?"

Raven feigned a shrug, and rubbed her arm self-consciously. "I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't even realize I did it..."

As Beast Boy nodded, and his lips pursed in understanding, Raven started to lag behind again. She didn't really want to discuss that matter with Beast Boy.

She didn't exactly like sharing what happened in her visions…


	6. Honest Misunderstandings

Chapter 5

Raven carefully put the light bulbs in the cart, and Beast Boy countered by dumping a large box of waffles on top. She looked at him in exasperation, and apparently, he could tell, because he slowly picked it up, like it was a bomb ready to blow. Raven lifted the light bulbs, equally slow, and put them in the children's seat of the cart. Fortunately, they weren't broken, despite the way Beast Boy plopped the waffles on top. "Do you really need that much?"

Beast Boy spun a bag of oranges, and tied it. "The more the merrier."

Raven's brow rose again. "A little at a time."

He looked at her gamely, and responded with another cliché. "Better to be safe than sorry."

Ready for that one, Raven crossed her arms, leaving Beast Boy to push the cart. "Less is more."

Beast boy flinched. "Ooh! Nice one!"

Raven's brows cocked, and she lifted the list out of her leotard. "What do we have now?"

Beast Boy quickly surveyed the cart. "Coffee, Herbal tea bags, soda, milk, soy milk, peanut butter, cheese, butter, banana's, jelly, bread, oranges, waffles, light bulbs --- I have no idea why those are in the produce department by the way, --- mushrooms, and lettuce." The bagged items from _Tech Tech Today_ were in the cart as well, since they didn't want to carry them throughout the whole store.

Raven drew her finger down the list. "Alright then…we'll have to go to the meat section now."

Beast Boy looked mildly sick for a moment, and he began to walk off. "I'll be back later."

Nodding in acceptance, Raven got behind the cart, and pushed. She had meant what she said when she told Beast Boy that she respected his decision to not eat meat. And she wasn't going to make him do something that made him that uncomfortable. She checked the meats on the list, noticing most of it was in Cyborg's handwriting. Shaking her head, Raven began to mentally cross things off the list.

After getting the meats, she found Beast Boy in the spices section, two large boxes of tofu in his hands. Raven had inspected the item at the bottom of the list numerous times, but she still couldn't decipher it. Giving in, she pushed the cart up to Beast Boy, and passed him the list. "Any idea what this says?"

Beast Boy looked at the list as he put his item in the cart. "Um…no."

"This thing here sort of looks like an 'I'."

Beast Boy leaned in, and a thought came to him. He quickly changed into a spider, and used his four sets of eyes to inspect the words carefully as he landed on the paper. After about three seconds there, he jumped off the paper, and changed back to normal in mid-air. When he reached his feet he was scratching his head "All I could make out was 'had'."

Knowing that wasn't it, Raven leaned forward, and squinted to read the writing, and found that she recognized the penmanship. "This is Starfire's handwriting. No wonder it's so hard to read."

Beast Boy read over her shoulder. "Kaaay…now that we figured that out, what does it say?"

Raven's eyes became slits as she attempted to read. "'Ice cream please, the _Superman,_ has disappeared.'" They looked at each other for a moment, and blushed slightly. "Oops," Raven said.

Beast Boy smiled, trying to lighten her mood. "Well, at least there's always more of that stuff."

Raven looked down, and dropped the list. Without saying a word, she pushed the cart. As hard as it was to admit, she had bonded with Beast Boy last night. And if shopping for ice cream was the price she had to pay…well, very well then.

This brought her back to her vision. Things in her visions only appeared as flashes before her eyes. The first flash was of black and fuschia colors; then she saw Beast Boy but he appeared far away; the next flash was of Beast Boy, much closer now, in an environment that seemed very similar to her mind; the last flash was of Beast Boy, his palm facing her upside-down, one eye closed, and his lips were pursed, like he'd just blown a kiss. She had to say, she didn't know what that scenario presented for the future, but she decided to let it go, while remaining cautious for the portrayed events. As Beast Boy regained his steps, and began walking in front of her, Raven shook her head. This whole thing was probably due to her uncontrollable emotions and hormones. That was it. It would all blow over!

Once they had gotten the ice cream, they went the purchasing lines and put the items on the conveyor belt. The person ringing up their items was a boy about their age with a snake tattoo on his left bicep, a pierced lip, a ring on each finger, and a beard that only circled his mouth. "Hey, you guys are the Teen Titans!"

Beast Boy, who loved talking with fans, leaned on railing to the conveyor belt and grinned. "Two of us anyway. We try to keep a low profile."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Boys."

The cashier and Beast Boy continued to chat, luckily the cashier managed to ring up their groceries while speaking. When he finally tallied to up the total, he did a finger technique similar to that of the cashier at _Tech Tech Today_. What, did they learn that at cashier school? (A/N: Anybody ever notice that?)

"Okay, $43.95, and do you want any of the soda out of the bags so you can drink it?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "Nah, thanks anyway dude." So far so good.

He handed them the bags, and Raven grabbed one extra just so she could make a quick about-face and start walking out. The cashier slyly patted Beast Boy's arm. "Isn't it impolite to make your girl carry the load, man?"

Raven visibly flinched, and her shoulders were hunched up to her ears in the attempt to contain herself. Beast Boy rushed to explain. "Um…she's not my girl! Raven and I are just friends!"

The punky kid let out a sarcastic snort. "Right, and Cyborg's a vegetarian." He laughed, but that quickly turned to a nervous chuckle when Raven turned around, _very_ slowly, and looked at him with four viciously red eyes.

His eyes widened, and he shrunk back. "Uh…sorry…my mistake! An honest mistake!"

A little upset at Raven's reaction to the poor guy's honest mistake, Beast Boy tossed Raven a look, and handed the guy the amount due, having left-over change. "Thanks dude, we'll see you later." Grabbing whatever bags Raven didn't pick up, Beast Boy ran out to catch up with Raven, who was already out the door, trying to blow off steam. He knew from experience that it wasn't a good idea to mess with Raven when she was mad, but he didn't plan to mess with her, just talk.

"Raven! Raven wait up!" Once he finally caught up to the blue cloak, Beast Boy tried to look at her eyes, and upon seeing the normal, and somewhat pleasant deep blue color, he relaxed. "Hey, he didn't mean anything personal."

Raven kept up her angry, stomping pace. "Do you realize that's the second time today?"

Beast Boy shrugged, and lifted counting fingers. "So? Number one, we shouldn't care what other people think; and number two, you said it yourself it was just an assumption."

Raven looked up at him as they stopped abruptly. She spread her arms, plastic grocery bags hanging from them like Christmas ornaments. "Number one, you always care about what people think of you, or else you wouldn't try so ridiculously hard to be funny; number two, it wasn't the assumption, it's the fact that more than one person actually might consider us a couple."

Beast Boy held up his index finger as if to argue her point, but the black shield enveloped them, and he immediately went to his knees to keep himself from getting sick. When they finally arrived in the main room, Beast Boy rose to his feet, and followed Raven after she dumped the bags on the counter. "Number one, I only try to make people laugh because I'm a people pleaser; number two we're not, and we see other people, so what are you worrying about?"

The other Titan's watched the duo fight as they left the room. They looked at each other, shrugged in unison, and continued on their previous activities.

Raven pushed her hood back as she continued on the path to her room. "Number one, that means you care what people think; number two, you're right we don't see each other! But we don't see other people either!"

The door to her room hissed open, and she turned around to face him, apparently waiting for it to close in his face. But he instead kept it blocked open with his hands. "Number one, it means that I care about peoples _feelings_; number two, we could see other people, so long as they fit the conditions!"

"What conditions?"

His elf ears drooped in sadness. "You forgot?" Raven shifted her eyes, then helplessly held out her hands. Beast Boy looked completely crestfallen, but he held up a finger. "Be right back." In an anime flash, he was back, hiding something behind his back. He sheepishly pulled it out, revealing a spoon.

Remembering, Raven inhaled deeply, and looked down, he handed her the spoon, and as ridiculous as it was, she accepted. He pulled out another spoon, and through wordless understanding, they clinked again.

(Later.)

Raven grinned gamely. "Well lightening beats your rain Beast Boy." She crossed her arms, confident she had him beat.

Beast Boy, having one card left, looked at the deck in dismay. "Oh, man! I can't believe you played that!" Raven reached out for the card pile, but Beast Boy put his hand over hers. She rose a brow. He said, "I can't believe you PLAYED LIGHTENING," and dropped a card.

Tornado stared up at her. Upset, and surprised at her loss, her eyes widened, and she leaned back. "I'm out."

Humming in triumph Beast Boy's head bobbed back and forth. "I didn't think you'd actually play this."

Raven stood, talking while she folded her chair. "We've played it before."

Beast Boy tried to help her by folding his own chair after he stuffed his winning cards in his pocket. "Yeah, but you usually don't do one-on-one."

Raven opened her closet to put the chair inside, and looked at Beast Boy, who was kicking the poor chair madly in an attempt to close it. When he suddenly changed into a gorilla and brought up his hands to slam it, Raven rushed over, and folded the chair. "Well, consider this an unusual occasion."

Beast Boy changed back to normal, and looked a little mad at the chair. Watching Raven, he began to wonder why virtually no one made moves on her. She was really pretty, her hair was smooth, and she had very nice blue…sort of purple eyes. Plus…her figure didn't even leave a little bit to be desired.

WHERE IN THE HECK DID THAT COME FROM??? Raven turned to him, and he blushed, turning around so she wouldn't notice. He was just trying to think of compliments for her.

But seriously, why hadn't anyone tried? But as he really began to think about it, she didn't have much of a chance. She was a super heroine with a clearly busy life-style; she lived in a big tower with her friends, and as far as everyone knew, her social life was a nil. He looked over at her, the blush gone. Like he told her, love-pie was big enough for everyone to get a slice. Beast Boy beamed evilly as an idea hatched in his brain.

Recognizing that conniving smirk all too well, Raven leaned back a little. "Okay, why are you smiling like that? WAH!" She shouted that because Beast Boy had grabbed her hand, and was now yanking her about the Tower, trying to get to the main room.

Once they arrived, Beast Boy shouted, "Is anybody doing something important?" Before anyone could answer, Beast Boy said at the top of his lungs, "Good! Because WE ARE GOIN TO PARTY!"

To Raven's surprise, everyone seemed willing to go. "Cool!"

"Oh, wonderful!"

"Lead the way dawg!"

(In the T-car.)

Raven sat, uncomfortably squashed between the two most cheerful people she'd ever met. "And the Meebdar finally remembered…ARDNIB!"

"Hahahaha! Good one Star! Haha!" Beast Boy clutched his stomach and wiped away a tear.

Raven turned to him. "Do you even get it?"

Beast Boy dropped his hands, while still trying to laugh. "Are you kidding? Do I get it!? Hahaha…no."

Starfire looked downcast, but Robin tried to explain from his place upfront. "It's okay Star, you can explain the joke later. We've made it."

Beast Boy hopped out of the car, trying to get the feeling back into his legs. Raven got out, and looked up at the club. There were flashing lights of yellow, blue, green, and pink coming from the inside, but it didn't have a name. "Looks like the place Blackfire took us to."

Cyborg pointed somewhere to the right, and Raven saw the words '_The Wash_'. (A/N: This author has been watching WAY too much Spongebob…)

"Oh."

Once they got inside, Raven was surprised to see that instead of pounding rhythms and grinding teenagers, a few people were dancing, and there were even more sipping drinks at the little booths. The maitre d' led them to a private and rather large booth in the corner. After she picked an item from the menu, Raven took more time to observe the club. It wasn't entirely dim, as the lights flashing from the floors were very bright. The people dancing seemed like teenagers who didn't revolve their entire lives on their hormones. Hallelujah…

A waitress came over, and she smiled upon seeing their faces. "Teen Titans, wow! We don't usually get celebrities in here! What'll ya have?"

"Three large Cokes please!"

"Is your tea brewed?"

"Yes miss Raven."

"Then a glass of regular tea please."

"I'd simply like a straw please."

The waitress gave Starfire an odd glance, and Robin leaned towards her, and whispered something in her ear. Giving Robin an even odder glance, the waitress went off the retrieve their orders. No sooner had she left, than two girls came over. A blonde girl wearing a zap-blue halter and a black skirt with a silver chain slung across the middle. And a redhead in a slinky black spaghetti strap one piece with rose-strapped high heels. "Hey, aren't you guys the Teen Titans?"

Beast Boy leaned back slyly. "In the flesh."

The girls gave each other an excited glance. "Wow, you guys rock! You've saved the city like, so many times. How do you manage to break away long enough to have a social life?"

Since none of them really had an answer, they merely stayed quiet while the waitress came back with their requests. "One tea, three Cokes, and…once mustard bottle."

Giggling like an eager child on Christmas morning, Starfire accepted the mustard, and began to sip, making the three people observing the table twitch.

"So…uh…since we do, we gather you guys don't come here often?"

Robin stopped sipping from the straw, and said, "It's actually the first time we've been here."

The tall blonde gracefully pushed her hair back like Cher, and smiled at Beast Boy. "You wanna dance Beast Boy?"

His eyes widened, and he looked around the table, trying to make sure that they were talking to him, even though they said his name.

"No silly! We're talking to you do you want to dance with us?"

Beast Boy looked at them, surprised. "Uh…sure."

The two girls giggled in delight. "Awesome! We get to dance with the coolest Titan!"

This stunned Beast Boy, who was in the process of getting up. "Say what? Me? The coolest Titan?" His eyes sparkled with happiness.

The girls laughed. The redhead spoke to him like it was all too obvious. "Well DUH! You've got awesome powers, you're seriously cool, and you're totally FUNNY!"

His lips were trembling in happiness, and the changeling looked ready to cry. "Me? I'm funny?"

At this, the teenagers burst out laughing, and shouted in unison, "Well DUH!" Still laughing, they grabbed Beast Boy's arms, and dragged him to the dance floor, leaving the other Titan's spellbound.

"Who'dha thought BB had such eager fans?" Cyborg said strangely.

Raven, who was looking at the dance floor with indifference, said, "Who'd have thought Beast Boy had fans?" For really no reason other than it was expected.

Starfire, who was finished with her mustard, yanked on Robin's arm. "Come Robin! I have never danced this type of dance before!"

"Uh…Star, I'm not one for…AHH!"

A young techy geek came over to Cyborg, and even though Raven had helped Cyborg on occasion, she didn't understand the lingo they were speaking. Upon seeing Raven's discomfort, Cyborg went off to talk with the guy somewhere else, leaving Raven alone with her tea.

Beast Boy clapped, and rose his hands in the air, swaying his hips. The girls that came to their table had a lot of friends, most of them dancing around Beast Boy. Not that many people danced with him, but he knew how to boogie!

He laughed with the girls, and since he was getting rather thirsty, he looked over at his table, and his ears drooped again when he saw Raven. She was quietly sipping tea, minding her own business. Beast Boy almost slapped himself. He'd thought up this whole thing so he could get Raven out and try to help her have fun. Instead he had taken off and left her all by herself. Grinning, Beast Boy held up his hand to the several girls dancing around him. "Be right back ladies, I want to get a friend of mine over here."

Raven wiped the condensation from her glass, and folded the napkin. A gloved hand landed on the table. She looked up, and pulled her hood down. "Aren't you a little busy with your fans?"

Beast Boy's brow rose, and he put his fist on his hip. "I'm never too busy for a friend."

Beginning to realize what he had in mind Raven crossed her arms and leaned into the booth. "I don't dance."

"Not before you didn't!" Again, he grabbed her arm, and yanked her away.

"Beast Boy, seriously, I don't think---"

Once he had her completely on the floor, he let go, and held up his palms in a helpful shrug. "Come on Raven! Dancing's fun," he started rotating his fists as he moved his feet. "Once you get your groove."

This state of affairs wasn't exactly her best position. Playing it cool, she crossed her arms again. "I don't groove either."

Beast Boy hung his head to the right, giving her the come-on-you-can-do-it look. She didn't like that. She didn't like this! It was true she didn't do dancing, but with her stupid hormones acting up, she wasn't sure if it was a good idea to---

Before she could say anything, Beast Boy was pulling her cloak back behind her shoulders, and to her shock, put his hands on her hips, forcing them to wiggle. "Come on, you can do it! It's all in the hips."

Raven blushed, and tried to get the hang of it. Maybe if she attempted to dance, then he'd leave her alone. She raised her fists, and slowly started to sway, finding it a little awkward with Beast Boy holding her. "That's it! Now just listen to the beat." Beast Boy seemed to blend in with the people here. He was having fun, was relaxed, and was pulling off some interesting moves. Where did he get that energy? Her feet twisted strangely as she tried to dance. Frustrated, she let out a grunt.

Upon observing the trouble she was having with it, Beast Boy put a hand on her shoulder. "Raven relax, don't move so stiffly. Just go with the flow, and move to the music."

Sighing, Raven closed her eyes, and listened to the rhythm until it was only her, and the melodic sound. Letting out a breath she relaxed, letting her shoulders drop. As if by magic, Raven put her arms in the air, and her hips started swaying. A very tiny smile emerged on her face, and her feet started tapping back and forth. "Whoo! Work it Raven!"

Unknowingly, her steps led her back into someone else, she tried to turn around, but that person had their back to hers. She didn't know who it was until she saw the elf ears. His face turned to look at hers. "You're doing it Raven! You're dancing!"

To her surprise, he turned around, took her hand, and spun her. Before she knew what was happening, she found her back against his chest, and was blushing furiously when she noticed how close their faces were. His face was happy, and his eyes were closed, so he must not have known. Her knees were ready to give, and she thought for sure that her temperature went up a few notches. Since when did the little grass stain have such an effect on her?

(At someone else's table.)

"So, can you really change into anything?" A girl with a lavender stripe dyed into her black hair asked Beast Boy.

He rubbed his nails on his shirt in a no-big-deal sort of way. "Well, I don't like to brag."

A girl with ultra-curly, bright red hair leaned forward in interest. "Even a cat? Or a horse?"

Getting up from his seat, Beast Boy changed into a horse, rising up on his hind legs and neighing. Then he changed back to normal, hopped up on the table, and changed into a cat, who walked in a circle, then did a back flip.

Ever the skeptic, Raven said, "I thought you said you didn't like to brag?"

The bat gave her a mad look, and he jumped back into his seat beside her, and wrinkled his cat nose at her before changing back to normal. "You're just jealous because I'm unbelievably cool."

The girls at the table burst out laughing. "You two seriously need to stop flirting so much!"

Raven perked up at this. "Excuse me?"

The blonde from before flapped out her hand. "Well come on! It's like, when are you gonna stop playing games, and just get together already!?"

Raven's jaw dropped to the table, and Beast Boy dropped a sweat, a nervous smile floating on his face at his companions angered expression.

"Totally! You guys are such a cute couple! You have the public's approval! Start dating already!"

Raven's eyes turned red, and Beast Boy covered her mouth, knowing there was going to be a very mean reply if he didn't stop her. "Uh…well actually ladies we're only friends, and we can see that our other friends kind of need us right now, we've gotta go! Thanks for the dance! Bye-bye!"

They hopped outside, where Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire were conveniently waiting for them. "What took you two so long?"

"Nothing! We were just talking to people. Come on! Let's get going!"

"What's the rush?"

"Nothing, it's okay. NOW GET MOVING!"

Beast Boy still had an iron-clad grip on Raven's mouth, and once they were in the car together, he finally let go. She was obviously still pretty mad. He took her hand, and stroked it nervously. "Raven, come on, maintain, it's okay."

She took a deep breath, and at once the red eyes disappeared. Turning to look at him, Raven said, "How many times has it been now?"

The corner of his mouth went up. "It's okay Raven. So long as we know we're not, then what does it matter?"

Raven looked out the window. Why was she suddenly feeling so strange around Beast Boy? And…why did she suddenly care what others thought? They knew they weren't a couple...

Her dark eyes turned to the understanding green ones of her friend. Why did it matter?


	7. Depressed, A Close Call, and Nevermore

Chapter 6

Beast Boy yawned, and flipped the channels. When they got back to the Tower, Raven was relatively quiet before she went to bed. He hoped she wasn't too offended by what those girls said. Being honest though, it was a little embarrassing. He didn't understand why she got so upset, and he wondered if he should feel bad about that. What was so wrong with him?

Well…okay, bad question, but Raven already told him that they were friends, and for crying out loud, they bonded over ice cream! He was usually the insecure one, so why was she suddenly caring what other people think?

Then, he began to think about it. What was really wrong with him? What was his place on the team? All he did was change into animals, and what good was that? He could remember the way Wildebeest kicked his butt when the Master of Games summoned them. When Star came back from the future, she said that not only would he be fat and bald and live as a bad act in a circus, but he'd be a lousy super hero. What would he be if he was on his own?

He put his head on the seat of the couch, and dropped the controller. "Probably a useless green freak people would stare at all day…"

(Raven's Room.)

Quietly pulling the needle through her spare cloak Raven sighed at the events of the day. Never before had she and Beast Boy been accused of being a couple, so to have it happen three times in one day was quite overwhelming. How could Beast Boy stay so relaxed through the whole thing? It didn't matter to him that someone thought he was with someone he wasn't? It was true, he usually cared a lot about what people thought about him, so why didn't this matter?

Since she was quite irritated, and someone had stolen her thimble, she'd jabbed herself enough that she started bleeding. So she dropped the cloak onto the bed, and went to the main room to get a band-aid. No need to waste her healing powers on something so minor.

Once the doors slid open, she noticed the TV was still on, but it was muted and nobody was watching. She glanced at the cuckoo clock, but it was hard to read since the lights were off and it was illuminated only by the glow of the TV. From what she saw it read 12:10. She went to look for the remote, and just as she went for it, she noticed the gloved hand hovering over it. Her eyes traveled up the black sleeve until she saw the sleeping face of the shape-shifter.

He wasn't drooling as she expected. In fact, his mouth wasn't even open. However, his face did show signs of distress. She could see that as well as sense it. He wasn't fully at peace tonight. His brows were slanted down in anger, and the ends of his mouth were set in a perpetual frown. Perhaps what everyone had said throughout the day was finally taking effect.

With no idea why she was doing it, Raven slid to the floor beside him, sitting on her knees. No. If it hadn't bothered him earlier, she had no reason to believe he was upset about it now. Curiosity abounding, Raven leaned in, and closed her eyes, trying to use the same technique she used to detect Slade.

For some strange reason, his mind was impenetrable. She focused harder, but no matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn't enter his mind. Confused, she opened her eyes to find out what the problem was. "AHH!" She fell back, the edge of the coffee table jabbing her in the back as her hood flew back.

The bright green eyes stared at her questionably. "Raven? What were you doing?"

Somewhat embarrassed at her concern, Raven picked up the controller, and dropped it between them as she moved to sit beside him on the couch. "You looked upset, I was trying to find out what was wrong." Raven said casually.

A brow rose. "By trying to kiss me?"

Somewhat went to 100% embarrassed. "Don't be ridiculous. I was trying to read your mind," she muttered defensively.

He looked at his feet, and his fingers drummed. "Oh."

Raven bit her lip. "Want to save me the trouble?" She asked him.

His eyes looked up at her, shining with a sadness she hadn't seen since Terra. "I was just thinking about how much I'm really needed. I mean, I'd be nothing without the Titans…but…"

With surprising patience, she waited for him to finish. "What am I _with_ the Titans? All I do is morph and make jokes."

Raven was wordless. What could she say to something like that? Raven may have grown up without affection, but the Monks of Azarath always made her feel needed. Whether it was the work she did, or simply her presence, she never felt useless or unappreciated. "Um…well, remember when you were captured by that alien? We looked all day for you."

Beast Boy shook his head. "I'm not saying I don't feel _liked_ Raven." He looked up at her, his eyes shining with hurt surprised her even more. "I just…don't feel needed...I guess."

Raven lifted her left leg onto the couch, and slung her arm over the back. "It wasn't just because we missed you Beast Boy. We need you as a member of this team. Even though you get annoying about it, you manage to cheer up the team and keep us on our toes. Sure, Starfire is like that a little bit, but she's just not you. She's the optimistic…and…you're more like…" A blush rose on her face, but she continued. "The comic relief. And you know that on more than one occasion, you yourself have saved the day. Like when we faced Thunder and Lightening, or Soto, when Cyborg got that virus you and Gizmo got rid of it, you saved the Earth's supply of cows, you saved us from Punk Rocket, (A/N: For those who do not know what I mean, this is from the Lost Episode.) and unless you've forgotten," Raven leaned forward a little as she said, "you saved me once or twice."

He looked down, and despite her long speech, he didn't look convinced. He looked back up. "And how many of those times have I caused the problem in the first place? Thunder and Lightening probably would have stopped destroying the city if I'd convinced Thunder to lay off a little sooner, Soto wouldn't have even been a problem if I hadn't left the Tower feeling sorry for myself.

"I _caused_ Cy's virus, we'll let the cow problem go, and I saved you because you're my friend. When we fought Adonis, you wouldn't even have needed saving if I hadn't knocked him into those chemicals."

"Everyone makes mistakes Beast Boy. It's all part of life. And you have managed on more than one occasion to fix your mistakes. And if you don't manage to fix it, then you need to learn to move on."

After a long pause, Beast Boy looked up at her again, and one corner of his mouth lifted. "Thanks Raven." He held out his arms, undoubtedly expecting a hug.

Her head jerked back. "What are you doing?"

He beamed, and held his arms up higher. "Aw come on, we've hugged before."

The occasions flashed in her head. The most recent time, he had initiated, apparently because he was happy that she was back. She had told him to let go, but upon reflection, was it really so bad? If someone was so happy that she was there, then why push him away? '_Because I've been pushing people away all my life_.'

The first time they had hugged, it was more of her hugging him. But she couldn't help herself. She had just been betrayed by the only boy she had ever shown affection too, and ironically enough, Beast Boy was the one who was able to comfort her. And if the others had tried, she doubted that they would have done so well.

Beast Boy, like he had pointed out the other night, knew what it was like when one's heart was broken. He had told her that she wasn't alone…he told her that he was sorry Malchior had broken her heart. She had never even told him how grateful she was.

Reaching out, Raven leaned forward, and put her arms under Beast Boy's, and around his waist. His arms were warm and…quite comforting.

Her body taking over her mind, she scooted closer, and held him tighter, closing her eyes to savor something so pleasant and so alien at the same time. He was so warm, she couldn't help it. Her head moved on his shoulder until they were ear-to-ear. Beast Boy's soft hair tickled her cheek, but rather than back off or twitch, she turned her head even closer. Why was she getting so close?

She absorbed his warmth and the feeling of his arms on her back before she pulled away.

But Beast Boy wouldn't let go. He let her have some space, but his arms remained around her. Raven's eyes opened, to view his emotionless ones.

His eyes were a mirror; in more ways than one. Not only could she see her scared, inexperienced eyes through his own, but the emotion that usually burned in his eyes was gone. He looked emotionless; just like her.

This close she could smell the spicy soap and tangy shampoo he used, and a unique, earthly scent. She had called him breathtaking, contemplated their relationship more times than usual, and had somehow managed to get closer than ever. And now she was hugging him, and in some way, more intimately than any of the previous times. '_What is __**happening**__ to me?_'

Before Raven could conjure up an answer to that, Beast Boy's eyes were closed, and he was leaning forward.

Her breath hitched. As if possessed, Raven closed her eyes, and leaned forward. She didn't even know what she was doing only that she wanted whatever was happening.

"AND YOU CAN GET THAT **NOW** FOR A SIMPLE---"

Raven opened her eyes, saw the very slightly pursed lips, and that did it.

She gasped, jumped out of his arms to her feet, and brought the hood of her cloak over her head to hide the blush. Beast Boy's eyes were wide, his mouth agape, but she didn't even try to read his emotion before she ran out of the room.

Beast Boy once more found himself looking after Raven. '_Dude, what just happened here?_' Had he really tried to kiss one of his best friends? What the heck was that about? Their friendship had already been on thin ice the way everyone was calling them a couple. What the heck possessed him to want to…

Figuring he should apologize, Beast Boy rose to his feet, and went in the direction of Raven's room. When he reached the door and knocked, he heard no response. Growing bold, he changed into a mosquito, slid under the closed door. Once he got inside, he was surprised to see that she wasn't there. She must've just gotten out, since her cloak was spread across the bed. There was a gray book on the floor, but everything else in the room…was in its perfect place.

Curiosity striking him again, Beast Boy picked up the book, and examined the title. "Forevermore?"

Odd, Raven wasn't usually one to just leave a book on the floor. He opened it, and saw some mysterious words on the first page. "Once a feeling ignored, now a feeling felt; once a feeling felt, now a feeling unleashed."

All of a sudden, the book started shaking in his hands, and a black aura surrounded it. One very similar to the one they saw when Raven used her powers. Freaked out, he dropped the book to the floor, but a black vortex spun out of the book. Bits of it began to lick out like a whip.

His eyes wide in fear, Beast Boy turned around, and tried to make a break for the door, when suddenly, he felt something yanking at his leg. One of the black tentacle-like things was wrapped around his ankle, and pulling him in the book. "NO! SOMEBODY HELP! GUYS! HELP ME!"

His voice couldn't be heard, as one of the tentacles slithered up, and wrapped around his mouth to silence him. He tried to grab it, but his hands just went through a black cloud. Beast Boy tried yelling for help again, but his voice was muffled. The tentacle pulled again, and he tried to grab onto the floor. The force was too powerful, and now something was wrapping around his hips, yanking him down even more.

He felt his left foot go numb, and looked down. IT WAS IN THE BOOK! His fingers curled into the carpet, and he tried to morph, but somehow the black aura was keeping him from changing. '_Can't…change!_' Finally, a bump in the carpet enabled him to hold tighter on the floor. He tried to pull out of the book, but the aura wrapped around his hands, drawing his arms and the rest of his body into the book.

'_Nooooo!_'

Just as the book closed, Raven walked into her room. Right after that incident with Beast Boy, she went to the bathroom to splash her face. The book that she had left lying on the floor earlier that day was still there, apparently untouched. Unsure why she had gotten it out to begin with, Raven bent to pick it, and flinched from the pressure on her headache. She picked it up, and put it on the book shelf…completely oblivious as to what secret the book held.

(Inside Raven's Mind.)

"Uh…where am I?" Beast Boy said, sitting on a rock and rubbing his aching head.

Upon further examination of his surroundings, he realized where he was. "Oh man!"

The pink and purple trees surrounded by the yellow sky almost made him nauseous. He knew exactly where he was. But when he saw Raven coming towards him, she was wearing a weird orange cloak. "Hi."

"Um…hello? Nice to…meet you?"

The orange Raven shrugged. "Whatever."

His brow rose. "Hey, I saw you the last time I was in here. Who are you?"

Shoving him off, Raven plopped into Beast Boy's spot on the rock. "Oh good, you kept my seat warm."

Grumbling, Beast Boy rose to his feet, and wiped the dust from his clothes. "No problem. So, who are you?"

She cracked her neck. "I'm Raven."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "_What_ are you?" He asked exasperatedly.

Orange Raven spread out her feet, and slouched. "Why didn't you say so? I'm Rude. Also known as lazy."

Beast Boy nodded. That explained the behavior. "Okay, I don't know how I got back in here, but I really need to get out before the real Raven find out."

Rudeness shrugged. "Whatever. Go ahead, leave."

Looking around, he realized he had no idea how to get out. "Um…well, could you take me to the forbidden doors then please?"

Raven put her hand in her cloak, apparently behind her ear, and pulled a large wad of gum out, picked a hair off of it, and began chewing obnoxiously. "I don't really feel like it. Ask me again later."

He put his hands on his hips in anger. "Um, look, the way you're behaving, Raven's bound to notice that I'm here, and it'd be nice if I only had to deal with one of Raven's emotions throughout the trip."

She blew a large bubble. "That won't be a problem. The only reason I can come and go as I please through every emotions territory is because the new girl took away most of the emotions." Confused, Beast Boy held out his hands in question. Rude sighed in annoyance. "A lot of the other emotions are gone. If you don't want to deal with anyone else, you got nothing to worry about. Practically nobody's here. Just make your way through this place and eventually you'll find the doors. I'm not really in the mood to be an escort."

The thoughts sunk into his head. "But…where are the other emotions?"

She made strings with the gum by pulling it through her teeth. "I told you, that new girl took 'em. I'd stay away from her if I were you. But I don't take to new people."

Beast Boy ran the thoughts through his mind. What kind of person was this new girl? "Okay, soooo how do I know where the new girl is?"

"You don't. She usually just pops around into different territories until she finds one she wants, then she takes it."

His arms shook. "Then how am I supposed to avoid her!?"

Rude shrugged, and put a hand on her stomach, putting the wad behind her ear. "I unno."

Groaning, Beast Boy left Rude alone, and started walking away, but what stopped him, was the sound of a loud, obnoxious belch. He snorted to contain his laughter, but it didn't work. "Hahahahaha! That was awesome!"

He turned around to face Rude, who grinned. "I know."

Laughing, Beast Boy left in a better mood. But he thought some more as he walked into another emotions territory, and was greeted by Timid's labyrinth.

Shrugging, he walked in. What kind of sense did this make? Who was the new girl? What emotion was she?

Delighted, he smiled when he reached the end of the labyrinth, but he wasn't greeted with the statues, or the Forbidden Doors. He was greeted with blue skies, and green grass. "Whoa! Where am I?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a door appeared; a rather nice door, with a gold doorknob and mahogany wood. Warily, and somewhat thoughtlessly, Beast Boy took the slow steps to the door. He pushed it open, and the sights made his eyes sparkle.

Beast Boy looked around, not a little creeped out. He thought for sure he'd seen all of Raven's emotions. He must have been wrong. It didn't look like the territory of any of the emotions he'd met, and it didn't look like it could be home to any of the emotion's he HADN'T met yet.

It was a bedroom, and it was furnished with gold and pearls. There was a small dining table, a golden antique oil lamp as the centerpiece with pearls draped across the bulb of the glass. Two floral patterned swivel chairs sat on opposing sides of the table. The walls were colored in rich cream, elegant lamps illuminating the room.

A full-size mirror was placed beside a door on the far left corner of the room. Beside the mirror, there was a large dresser with a jewelry box resting on top. To Beast Boy's direct right, he saw a tall bookshelf, much taller than the one Raven kept. Finally, there was a little settee with a plump velvet cushion that matched the swivel chairs surrounding the table. The settee was right in front of the largest, cushiest, plumpest bed he had ever seen. There were at least six large pillows, and a very large yellow comforter. A deep red curtain was visible on the other side of the bed. The night table beside the bed didn't have anything on it except for a lamp similar to the one at the table.

The ache in his head returned, as if summoning him to the bed. With a pleasant sigh, he plopped onto the bed, the warm comforter living up to its name. Suddenly, he was enveloped by the bed, like it was trying to swallow him. "Ah! Ah! Help!"

A hand grasped Beast Boy's, and before he knew it, he was off the bed, and on his knees. He looked up to thank who had helped him, but there wasn't anyone there. He heard the opening of a door, and looked to the one he saw in the corner, that was now wide open. Chuckling, Beast Boy ran to it, and shut the door behind him. His eyes widened to the size of tea cup saucers.

Before him was the largest, fullest closet he had ever seen. There was a vanity mirror with light bulbs surrounding it. "It _is_ massive isn't it?"

Beast Boy's gaze was drawn directly in front of him, and he was greeted by Raven lazily tracing the patterns on a large cushion. But…her cloak wasn't a color he'd seen on any of her other emotions. This one was a mix of her typical black…

And Fuschia…

(In Raven's room.)

"_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos_." Raven recited. She hadn't seen Beast Boy since that close call, and for that she was grateful. Raven honestly didn't think she knew what she could say to him. Maybe the whole thing was something they should put behind them. It was an accident, and it technically didn't even happen. The entire sequence of events hadn't lasted more than forty seconds. So why did it feel like it lasted forever?

Letting out a confused breath, Raven dropped from a meditative stance, and plopped back on the bed. A friendship just may have been shot to hell, feelings might start developing '_God help me,_' and she couldn't even let loose how upset she was. Groaning, Raven gripped her head.

On top of all that, she had a throbbing headache.


	8. Who She Is :Short:

Chapter 7

Raven arched her back, and smiled at Beast Boy. Her eyes sparkled in a way he hadn't seen before. There were a lot of things unfamiliar about this new Raven. In fact…what was wrong with her outfit? "Um...Raven did you change?"

Confused, she tilted her head in question. "Change?"

Carefully, he walked closer. "Your…um…outfit?"

She smiled, and moved back to sit on her knees. "Well, if you mean color, that's because fuschia's my favorite color!"

He scratched the back of his head. "Um…no."

She opened the cloak again, and he blushed. "Then what?"

He observed her leotard, and gestured as he spoke. "Well, your leotard thingy, it's a little…tighter. And the part where it ends looks like it's a…little higher on your hips."

The Fuschia Raven blushed, and flapped her hand at him. "Aw! I'm so flattered you noticed!" she removed her robe, and Beast Boy's eyes just about popped out of his head. She wasn't wearing her typical high neck leotard. It was low cut, revealing ample cleavage. Raven never wore things like that.

This Raven traced her collar-bone with her fingers. "You like?"

He blushed, not quite sure what to say. "Um it's…nice?"

She put her hand to her cheek bashfully. "Thank you Beast Boy."

Oh! Now they were getting somewhere! "You know my name?"

She smiled, and her fingers started tracing the pattern on the cushion again. "I know a lot more than that?"

A brow rose. "Really?"

"Yes. But, we'll deal with all that later. So," She put her hands under her chin, ready to listen. "Talk to me. I never get enough company."

Feebly, Beast Boy's eyes shifted around the closet. "Well, Raven, I don't think---"

"Oh, Beast Boy please," her hand rose and she lifted his chin with a finger. "Call me Rave."

His eyes widened a little, and he looked around for another out. "Oookay."

Drawing her hand back, Raven smiled in coy satisfaction. "Well?"

After brief hesitation, Beast Boy puffed out his chest. "Well, I've got some questions, and I refuse to say anything else until they're answered!"

Rave blinked, then shrugged. "Okay."

A little surprised it would be that easy, Beast Boy's chest deflated, and he looked around. "Uh," he thought, then regained his macho-ness. "First, where are we? Second of all, why are you taking all of Raven's emotions? Third, WHAT ARE YOU???"

With amazing calm, she answered each question, with good pace. "We're in Raven's mind. Currently in Timid Territory. I'm not really _taking_ Raven's emotions, and I'm a Side."

Beast Boy nodded, and bent his head towards her. "Huh?"

She smiled patiently. "Yes, I go into territories, but the only ones I go into are ones that aren't occupied. Currently, several territories are made up of different parts of a house. Timid, is clearly a bedroom."

Understanding a little better, Beast Boy nodded. "Ooooh. Okay. So, what's happening to Raven's emotions?"

She reached behind her, and worked at putting her robe back on. "Nothing happened to them, they're just inside me. Emotions are what create a Side."

Beast Boy shook his hands wildly. "What are you talking about? What the hell is a Side???"

Raven stood up, and went out to her full-length mirror, adjusting the cloak in front of it. "I'm just a Side. There's not much to explain."

Sarcasm, something that Beast Boy usually left to Raven herself, said, "Oh, I'm sure there isn't. Could you humor me and explain anyway? Please? I'm already getting a headache." He cradled his head to prove it.

She turned to him, and put the hood back up on her robe. "Alright then."

The next thing he knew, he was sitting in one of the swivel chairs at the table, staring at a green chalkboard. Raven had her hood down again, and a stick of chalk in her hand. The board had the word 'Side' written on it right in the middle, written in bold letters. "Okay, you know that there are Raven's basic emotions. Some examples being Timid, Happy, Anger?"

Beast Boy nodded, although Raven probably didn't see it since she was busy writing said emotions across the bottom of the board. She showed him, then loudly drew three lines under each name, like making a brainstorm web. "What you probably don't know, is that each emotion is made of dozens of smaller emotions. To make an example Timid is made of Fear, Uncertainty, and Discretion; Happy is made of Joy, Bliss, and Contentment; Anger is made of Hate, Annoyance, and Fury. Just as an example."

Beast Boy nodded again. "Is that why I've never seen them?"

She nodded. "Correct. Now, those emotions were separate at Raven's birth, but after a year, a monk bonded them together by a magical ritual to narrow the list down to eight emotions, rather than a good ten dozen. With me so far?"

Beast Boy nodded again. "Yeah."

Fuschia turned around, and drew lines between the minor emotions she had written, as if connecting them. "The original ceremony was done to reduce the risk of Raven's emotions going out of control. There were supposed to be two ceremonies. The first was performed a year after Raven was born. Still with me?"

Beast Boy nodded again. "Uh-huh."

"Now, when the monk performed the first ceremony, he determined that Raven would be on her own by this age, and no one would be fit to perform the ritual in his place. So he performed the second one then and there. But since her emotions hadn't fully developed yet, the ceremony powers wouldn't take effect until the emotions were developed. Are you still with me?"

Beast Boy nodded again. "I think so."

Raven smiled, and closed her hands around the chalk. "Well, her emotions have developed. And what Side the emotions turn into depends on the stage of life that Raven is in. At this point in life, she is quite…womanly."

Beast Boy attempted to nod, but as his chin lowered he said, "You lost me."

Raven blushed a little, and circled her hand. "Her…_cycle_."

Still lost, Beast Boy held out his hands. Sighing, Raven said. "Her period."

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! WHY DID YOU TELL ME THAT??? DUUUUUDE, I **SO** DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW THAT!"

Raven blushed, and put a hand to her temple. "Well, since she's at that stage in life, and she's at the stage where she should be getting boyfriends and falling in love, I am the Side that was produced."

Beast Boy stopped shuddering and writhing long enough to say. "So…what are you then?"

Striking up a proud pose, Raven put her hands on her hips, her hair behind her ears, and her eyes shining, she said, "I am Raven's Feminine Side!"


	9. The Feminine Affect :SortaShort:

Chapter 8

Beast Boy looked a little perplexed, but he made a meager attempt to understand. "So, that ritual or whatever fused all of Raven's emotions into you? Her Feminine Side?"

Nodding, her hands went from her hips to behind her back. "That is correct."

Beast Boy puffed out his cheeks. "Okay. So…why isn't rude part of this?"

Scoffing, and flapping a hand to her chest, the Feminine Side said, "Because being _rude_ is highly unladylike! Let alone feminine!"

He smiled a little bit. "Oh, heavens no."

Raven giggled a little. It was so refreshing to have someone laugh at his jokes. It happened so little that he was really getting to become self-conscious.

"Okay, I guess I get it. So…is it at all possible that I can get out of here?"

Her lower lip trembled. "You're gonna leave me all alone already?"

Her eyes were shining. Now he knew how others felt when he transformed into a kitten. This must have been Raven's version of 'The Face'. And it was definitely effective. He was very tempted to find a way to stay in Raven's mind, but he knew that if he stuck around much longer then she would figure out that he was in it. "I'd love to Rave, but if I stick around I'll get in a lot of trouble."

Sighing in a pitiful pout, Raven clasped her hands together over her stomach. "Okay. I don't want to get you in trouble…buuuut," she started making slow steps to him, getting closer and closer. Beast Boy stood his ground, as he wasn't sure what she would do. Her arms slinked around his shoulders, and he uneasily leaned back. Her face got very close to his, to the point where he could smell her cherry-breath. "Be sure to come back soon."

Her voice was low and sultry, such an alien tone, he didn't really know what to make of it. "Uh…sure. But I can't come back if I can't leave!" he reminded her hastily.

Smiling, Raven drew an arm back, and lifted her index finger. A black aura surrounded it, and he heard the eery creaking of a door. He turned, and saw the outside, then looked back at her. "Just walk past my door and you'll find the forbidden ones."

Letting out a happy breath, Beast Boy smiled, and tried to wiggle out of her grip, but she refused to let go. He backed up, but a giggle Feminine Side was still holding onto him. "I'll miss you!"

He nodded, and patted her waist. "I'll miss you too…Rave."

Grinning in satisfaction, Raven levitated back to one of the swivel chairs, and watched him depart.

Not a little creeped out, Beast Boy left the room, and walked past the door. Sure enough, the red vortex twirled in front of him. With a broad smile, Beast Boy hurried out.

Suddenly, his face was buried into a familiar carpet, and he looked up to see a dark room with bookshelves and a large bed in the back. Standing, Beast Boy looked behind him, and he saw the mysterious book on the floor. "_Hurry back Beast Boy…_"

"Eee!" Zipping out of the room, Beast Boy made his way to his own room. Pacing back and forth, he tried to decide on his next move. He wasn't sure how Raven's personality would change throughout the whole situation. Also, he didn't even know if Raven knew about the situation. Well, first he should probably tell her, and then they could figure things out from there.

Determined to do the right thing, he went to his door, but just as he reached to open it, he heard a knock. Blinking, he opened the door, and about jumped out of his shoes when he saw Raven standing in front of him. "YIII! Um…h-hi Rave!"

Blinking in surprise, Raven said, "Rave?"

His eyes widened, and he slapped his hands behind his back. "Rave-N, Rave-N…haha…"

She appeared confused, but she shook her head, and changed the subject. "Look, I realize what _almost_ happened in the Main Room just now was probably uncomfortable."

Beast Boy's eyebrow rose, then both of them shot up when he remembered what happened. "Oh…well, kind of. But it's my fault, and I'm totally sorry."

Raven nodded in agreement. 'I'm glad you think so. I for one think it would be bet if we just put it behind us."

Beast Boy nodded vigorously. "Agreed. Nothing happened!"

Satisfied, Raven expelled a breath, and lifted a hand in farewell. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."

He watched as she left. "Sure Raven! Hehe…Bye! Good night! Sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

Suddenly, Beast Boy slammed the door shut, and for the first time in ages, he bolted the door. Once he had it locked, he leaned his back against the door, and let out a long breath of relief.

Everything went well…the only problem was he didn't tell her about her Feminine Side. It amazed him that she hadn't detected him in the decent while that he was in her mind. But…why did Raven's distant feeling about earlier disturb him so much? He should probably be as upset as her, but the bottom line was…he wasn't. He should be, for the simple reason that he and Raven were friends, and friends didn't kiss. But why wasn't he?

He'd already established that Raven was attractive, and she was a real enigma, so that added a few points to her appeal. Plus, despite the way she was constantly bashing him, she did have a good sense of humor; if a person went for all that sarcastic stuff. But still, none of that was any real way to explain why he had tried to kiss her. Something probably possessed him. (A/N: Don't take this literally it's just another off-the-wall BB theory.) Probably some kind of freaky spirit was floating around the Tower! And it had possessed him to get to Raven!

Oh geez, he was nuts.

(Raven's Room.)

Combing her hair, Raven contemplated on Beast Boy. The entire scenario at his room just now screamed awkwardness. First, his reaction when he opened the door, then calling her 'Rave', and finally his strange attitude when she brought up the near-incident in the Main room. Perhaps he felt stranger about it than she did.

Well, it could happen, and she certainly wouldn't dismiss the possibility. After she took off her robe, she exited her small closet, and finally noticed the book on the floor. …Hadn't she put that book on the shelves? Since she was never one to enjoy odd coincidences, she picked up the book, and inspected the title. '_Forevermore_'. Beguiled, Raven opened it to the first page, and saw the words: '_Forevermore, the album of Azarath Poetry_'.

She couldn't remember this book, but perhaps the Monks had crossed dimensions to give her the book as a gift. Sometimes they had given her random presents, such as her jeweled belt.

As she placed it back on the shelf, she said, "Oh well. It's just a book."

(The next day.)

Some herbal tea was being poured into a tiny teacup. A warm kitchen with an adjoining dining room was occupying Bravery's territory. The room was decorated like the bedroom, with a creamy colored kitchen and a butterscotch dining room. The stove was beyond enormous, and the metallic sink shined under the high chandelier. The mahogany wood table wasn't very big, but it supported two people and all the food they could eat. There were oil paintings of a bleak world surrounding the table. A carpet was under the chairs and table, so as not to damage the fine wood flooring. "Nice place."

Raven smiled at him. "Thank you, I like it. And thank you so much for deciding to visit me Beast Boy!"

As she set the tea pot down, Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "For the umpteenth time, YOU'RE WELCOME!!!"

She batted her lashes, and took her seat. There wasn't any Tofu, but it was definitely vegetarian friendly. There was a simple vegetable soup as an appetizer, then delicious pasta with alfredo sauce as an entrée, and the dessert was some rich strawberry non-dairy cheesecake. Now they were washing everything down with herbal tea. He'd never drank it before, and he was actually willing to admit it tasted pretty good. Not as good as any soda, but it was definitely not bad.

"So, how was your day?"

Beast Boy wiped his face with his sleeve, abandoning the cloth napkin that Feminine had laid out for him. "Oh, it was good. Today, I finally beat Robin at RaceX20. That just leaves Cyborg."

Her smile was wide and happy. He wished he could see the real Raven smile like this. "I'm so glad to hear that! I had a good day too."

He put his elbow on the table, dead-set on ignoring dining etiquette. "Oh yeah? What happened?"

Stretching her arms to his side of the table, Raven laced their fingers together. "I waited for you."

Beast Boy smiled bashfully. "Rave, you're gonna _have_ to stop complimenting me! I'm seriously getting a big head!"

As she laughed, Beast Boy took that opportunity to check the grandfather clock. "I really hate to eat and run, but I've been here a whole half-hour. I better go."

Raven gave him the same look she gave him yesterday, except she wasn't nearly as determined to keep him there. Rising to her feet, she said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow?"

He smiled, and stood. "So long as the real Raven doesn't find out, why not?"

Beaming, she clasped his hands. "You mean you're not gonna tell?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Sure. It's nice to hear someone laugh at my jokes for a change."

"Awww!" She hugged him tightly, and he patted her on the back.

After a moment, he made his way to the door. Once he got back into Raven's room, he warily looked around before strolling out on a whistle. He figured it wouldn't be so bad to visit the Feminine Raven once in a while. She hadn't admitted what emotions she was specifically made of. For all he knew, some of the other emotions could still exist. But for some odd reason, he had no problem risking it. The Feminine Raven was being really nice and friendly.

And he had only known her one day. Was something wrong with him?

Shrugging it off, he made his way to the Main room. Inside Cyborg and Robin were playing some late-night games, and Starfire was doing the dishes. A kettle of water was bubbling on the stove; well alright!

He plopped onto a bar stool, and waited until Raven returned, so he could ask her for a cup.

As if on cue, Raven entered the room, and glided over to the stove, and snapped off the burner before getting down a porcelain tea cup. "Hey Raven! Wait a sec!"

Her eyes, somewhat shielded by her hood looked back at him passively. "What?"

He jumped over the counter, and opened the same cupboard to get down a mug that said, 'Ha Ha Ha…I don't get it'. (A/N: That's a keychain actually, my favorite!)

"Can I have some tea please?"

A loud screech came from the cars in the video game, and a dish crashed to the floor. Raven's eyes grew large, and she was overfilling the cup. "Ar-Are you serious?"

Beast Boy smiled, and held out his cup in a questioning way. "Please?"

Blinking, Raven passed the necessary materials to him, and she watched as he made his own cup, and took a tentative sip. Dumbfounded, Cyborg asked, "Uh…BB? Is that you?"

"Yes friend what is wrong? Do you have 'the fever'?" Starfire flew up the Beast Boy, and put a hand on his forehead, even though she wasn't quite sure what she was looking for.

Beast Boy stopped drinking long enough to stare at the room around him. He supposed it was a pretty big shock; after all he mostly stuck to Tofu and soda. Wow, the Feminine Side of Raven must be having a weird impact on him. He swiped away Starfire's hand, and said, "I'm find guys. If you need me, I'll be in my room!"

Raven watched as Beast Boy left the room, taking occasional sips from his mug. Was he trying to imitate her or something?

What in the world was wrong with him?


	10. Sick

Chapter 9 (A/N: This chapter is partially inspired by my own illness. I'm pretty sick. *sniffle*)

"Aah-aaah-aaaah….ahhhh…..ACK-CHEW!!!!" Raven blew her nose into the tissue, and tossed it onto the overflowing waste-basket. It was her second box of tissues, her third dose of Dayquil, and her fifth glass of orange juice. And she was still sneezing and coughing her brains out.

"I bless you, Raven."

"Thangs Starfire." She muttered groggily. Raven sniffled again, and blotted her nose again. She hated being sick, almost as much as she hated her _friend_, which was thankfully over. But it was replaced with this bizarre cold. She just couldn't have a peaceful time anymore could she?

With an angry scowl, Raven let out a loud cough. Cyborg and Robin had left for a local fighting tournament, so it was just her, Starfire, and Beast Boy; who was, according to Raven's calculations, on his third cup of herbal tea. She supposed it was nice of Beast Boy to try something new, but it was so unusual that she spent almost an hour yesterday contemplating the reasons why he was drinking it.

And today, here she was in the Main room, getting some more orange juice to wash down more Dayquil, and to her uncomfortable shock, Beast Boy was sitting at her place in the room, sipping some tea, and reading the sequel to '_The Wizard and the Light_.'

"Beast Boy? Why don't you read that in your roob?"

He didn't listen to her; only turned a page. "Beast Boy?" His eyes were speedily shifting across the pages. Not really in the mood to argue with him, Raven just downed the Dayquil and the orange-juice, and stomped to her room.

Making her way to her bed, Raven accidentally kicked something in the middle of the floor. There was that book again! If it was Beast Boy who kept on taking it down as a joke, he was in for it.

But at the moment, she was too tired, and really wanted a nap. Bending down, she picked up the book, and put it back on the shelf. This process was really getting old. It was the third day in a row that she had to put that book back in its place. She was really going to get Beast Boy for making her bend like this with such a runny nose.

Exhaustion taking over, Raven stripped off the cloak and booties, and then crawled into bed.

(In the Main room.)

Beast Boy looked up from the book, and glanced around, seeing only Starfire, watching some weird show on toe-fungus. "Hey Star, was Raven trying to talk to me just now?"

Turning away from her show for a moment, since she was too polite to ignore someone, Starfire responded, "Well, yes. But you were reading and did not listen."

Feeling a little guilty, Beast Boy marked the page in the fascinating book, and downed the rest of his herbal tea to go talk to Raven. He tossed the book in his room before going to visit Raven. He knocked on the door, and upon hearing nothing, pressed the button to slide it open automatically. By now, he was used to sneaking into her room, for no reason other than to visit the Feminine Raven. But now, he was greeted with the sight of a panting Raven lying in bed. Worried, he walked over to her, and knelt down, shaking her arm. "Hey, Raven, wake up!"

Her sweating face burrowed deeper into the blankets, disheveling her hair. She didn't even open her eyes "Rrr! Dot dow!"

He blinked. "Say what?"

"I said, _dot dow_! Let be get sobe sleep!"

His brows furrowed, then his eyes snapped open. "Oh! You're sick!"

Lowering the blanket to her chin, Raven looked up at him, an over-exaggerated smile on her face. "How could you tell?"

He wrinkled his nose, and instinctively leaned forward.

Her eyes widened in fear, and Raven scooted further back into bed. "Hold still," he murmured softly. Impatient, he put his hand behind her head, and held her in place.

Raven watched as Beast Boy's lips pursed. Oh no, hadn't they agreed to let that go? Why was he trying again? And more importantly, why were her lips puckering? Why was she closing her eyes?

She felt his chin on the bridge of her nose. Confused, she opened her eyes, and looked up. Beast Boy's lips were on her forehead. Even more confused, Raven's eyebrow raised. "What are you doin-k?"

He let go of her head, and backed off, putting his chin on his arms. "You've got a pretty high fever."

Raven remembered reading somewhere that a more effective way to check for fever when lacking a thermometer was to use the lips on the forehead. Thankfully, Beast Boy's eyes were closed as well. So he couldn't see her pucker up for a kiss.

Beast Boy looked at her flushed face, and was apparently mistaking the blush for the effects of her fever. "Wow. You're burning up. Stay right here!"

Sinking her head back into the blanket, Raven said under the covers, "Dot like I could go adywhere else!"

After a few minutes, he came back, armed with a washcloth and a jar of something. Setting the items on her night-stand, Beast Boy gently lifted a wordless Raven, and propped up the pillows behind her. When he set her back down, she was sitting up against the pillows, and he tenderly placed the damp washcloth on her forehead.

Blushing a little, but knowing Raven was too weak to protest, Beast Boy lifted Raven again, and slowly unzipped her leotard. Her eyes widened, but other than that, she couldn't do anything. "What are you doin-k?"

He stopped a little below her shoulder-blades, and, for the first time in another person's presence, Beast Boy stripped off his gloves. Her eyes widened. The gloves revealed to be quite deceiving as she saw his well honed fingers and knuckles. His fingernails weren't dirty underneath like she'd expected. In fact, his hands were well-groomed and confirmed great strength. He caught her eyeing his hands, and said, "This doesn't leave the room okay?"

She looked up at his eyes, and nodded dumbly while blushing. He unscrewed the lid of the jar, and scooped out a little bit of a jelly-like substance. His face almost as red as hers, he started to rub her collar-bone with the jelly. Raven's lashes batted, and she really didn't know what he was doing. Since she couldn't breathe through her nose, she panted out through her mouth. "Hey, close your mouth. This stuff only works if you breathe through your nose."

Tempted to argue, Raven closed her mouth, and sucked in a small amount of air through her nose. A pungent odor arose in her nostrils, but her nasal passages started clearing, and she suddenly recognized the pleasurable smell of the Vicks VapoRub. She was surprised that Beast Boy was able to find it. Perhaps he had it in his room and that was why she hadn't found it.

Giving in to the soothing smell, Raven's chest rose and fell to embrace the soothing heat on her collar bone. VapoRub usually didn't have this kind of effect on her. It just opened up her nasal passages and burned her chest. Currently, she was feeling completely relaxed, and her senses radiated bliss.

Beast Boy's other hand started rubbing it in, and Raven closed her eyes to absorb the feel. She let out a moan of satisfaction as he massaged her upper chest. It definitely wasn't just the Vicks that had her feeling so good. It was the magic of his hands. He really ought to let them out of those colossal gloves more often. Her eyes opened in slumberous pleasure to watch his face. Again, his face lacked the friendly glow, and his eyes were concentrated.

He caught her staring again, and this time Raven didn't feel that she should be blushing. He should be the one with a red face. He was the one rubbing her chest; just a few inches above her breasts. But why wasn't she trying to stop him?

His hands moved up to her shoulders, and began a frontal shoulder massage. Raven sighed, and her head rolled, the cloth sliding off her face as she embraced the rising temperature of the Vicks on her shoulders. She looked up at him again, and noticed that his face was closer than before. "Still kinda stuffed?"

Brain-dead, she nodded again. The VapoRub had helped a little bit, but she was still getting only minimal amounts of air into her lungs.

His eyes changed to a look of sadness. "I'm sorry you don't feel good." He leaned forward, and hugged her, ignoring the stickiness of her upper body. Touched, and having no control of her actions due to medicine, Raven hugged him back. It was just like the other night. Warm, and reassuring. But this time, it was a little bit different.

He kissed her cheek.

It wasn't like before when he had checked her forehead for fever. He was actually kissing her cheek. It was probably a brief moment, but it felt like it was going on forever. His cold lips contradicted with the hot of her fever-ridden face; calming and sweet. He pulled away, and smiled sympathetically. Placing the cold washcloth back on her face, Beast Boy said, "I'll leave you alone so you can get some sleep."

His consideration was so heartwarming. Raven looked down modestly. "Thank you." The jar of Vicks VapoRub burst apart, the jelly splattering a wall or two along with her and Beast Boy.

Curse him! How the hell did he manage to get her so riled up??? She thought her hormones had let up!? "Beast Boy…GET OUT!"

A little hurt, Beast Boy's shoulders hunched, and he said, "I was just trying to help."

She crossed her arms. "You've done enough. NOW GET OUT!"

(Later, in BB's room.)

Beast Boy dried up, and slipped back into his uniform. Since he'd already visited the Feminine Raven today, and had made a poor attempt at making the real Raven feel better, he felt he had done his duties for the day. Thankfully, after Cyborg and Robin came back, Cy had challenged him to RaceX20, and who was a hero of his prodigious gaming prowess to refuse?

Soon, he found himself pouting on the couch. "Aw Yeah! BOOYAH! I'm bad! I beat ya! That's the tenth time in a row BB! You betta quit while you're behind!"

Beast Boy wrinkled his nose at Cyborg, and before he could challenge the half-machine again, the Titan Alarm went off, and the big screen TV automatically turned into a map of the city and the stats of the criminal came up. Any previous battles were registered in the computer, so any repeat-offenders were able to be displayed. And this time, a photograph revealed the bothersome twerp: Gizmo.

A voice sounded behind Cyborg and BB. "Titans! Go!"

(In the Mall.)

"Alright you scum-sucking sleaze-bags! Open all the cash registers!" Gizmo was perched on the tallest fountain in the center of the mall, talking into a loud-speaker attached to his back-pack. His mechanical spider-legs were raising him to the near ceiling of the mall, but he was sitting on a large vacuum hose, and once he had confirmed that all the registers were opened, he pressed a button, and the dollar bills started to fly towards his machine.

"Not so fast Gizmo!" Robin shouted. Since Raven was sick, Starfire wanted to stay home and look after her. And this being just Gizmo, it really wouldn't be a problem only having three Titans. "Give back the money, and no one gets hurt."

"And what makes you think you can stop me with just two of you?"

"Ha! And they call me dumb!" Beast Boy boasted. He hitched his thumb at Gizmo. "This little freak can't even count."

"Take another look Crud-ball! Can't you even see what this machine does?"

His arms crossed, Cyborg said, "sucks money, so?"

"EGGH! WRONG! This baby sucks up green." And he was right. Several plants, green lamps, chairs, and other green products were being sucked up.

A little worried, all heads turned to an oblivious Beast Boy. "What?"

The next thing they new, BB was being sucked up into the giant vacuum.

(Later, back at the Tower.)

Beast Boy coughed up some dust, and frowned. Growing bold, he walked right into Raven's room. She looked like she was sleeping, so he didn't worry. Picking out the book, he opened it, and jumped right in.

But little known to poor Beast Boy, Raven had seen him…

(In Raven's mind.)

"So, tell me what happened." Raven said reassuringly. Beast Boy leaned back in the chair, and swiveled so the back of the chair was facing the table.

"Let's just say my day wasn't so hot."

Raven reached around the chair, and massaged his shoulders. Her touch was definitely enjoyable, since his muscles had tensed and become as hard as the supposed muscles Raven had come to adore so much. "Aw! Well, tell me about it. Maybe I can…make you feel better?"

He pretended to ignore her obvious innuendo. "I got in a fight with you…AGAIN, Cyborg whooped my tail in RaceX-20, and what's worse, I got even more whooped by a little guy who was the first kid to have 'crud,' as his first word."

"Life is so stressful isn't it?" Raven's arm's slid lower down his chest…lower…lower…did she crawl on the table or something?

"Uh…it can be."

Her hands were beginning to get a little too low for Beast Boy, so he grabbed them, and so he wouldn't offend her, gently kissed her fingers. "Tell me about your day," he said, his voice unusually high, yet understandable, given the uncomfortable situation.

"I was so alone today. It felt like…I don't know, everything was empty, all of it was a blur."

Beast Boy felt the stir of pity deep in his stomach. "I'm sorry. How come?"

Raven swiftly flew around so she was facing Beast Boy, and in the instance of a blink, Raven was straddling his lap on the chair. "I didn't have you."

Shrinking back, Beast Boy chuckled nervously. Raven's Feminine side was being unusually affectionate right now. "Well, you had me for part of the day, hehe…"

His words fell on deaf ears. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and was leaning in quite close her reddish cape was enveloping his face as she tried to lean in for a kiss. He put a finger on her lips, knowing he didn't want this. Her eyes opened, and she leaned back, her eyes shining with disappointment…or was that tears?

"What's wrong Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy tried to think quickly. He should be able to get out of this! As a jokester, he had an instinctively quick wit, and it got even quicker when he was in battle since he had to think to transform. But now, his mind was boggled.

"Uh…Raven? This isn't about you, it's uh…" He looked down, trying to look at his lap, but instead, he saw Raven's smooth thighs, and in a bizarre way, a thought finally popped into his head. "It is you actually…you see…I can't kiss you, until I _kiss you_…morally it just doesn't seem right…get it?"

Raven smiled, and giggled as her hands slid down his chest, this time, thankfully, stopping at his pecs. "I get it sweetie. Just make sure you kiss me very soon."

She leaned in, this time, to his ear. "Because I can't wait much longer."

Beast Boy chuckled nervously. "Hehe…yeah…neither can I."

Suddenly, Raven disappeared, just as a wide door opened. "Beast Boy! Finally!"

He blushed, hoping his new guest saw only him. "Sorry Raven."

She looked around suspiciously, and a delicate purple brow rose. "I've been looking all over for you! And I thought I heard someone talking. Was one of my emotions in here?"

Blinking, Beast Boy's eyes rolled up. "No…I don't think so."

Raven looked skeptical, but she dropped it. "Look, I've told you over and over…stay OUT **OF** _**MY**_ _**MIND**_!"

Raven was quite mad at him now, and it was quite refreshing, since she'd been doing nothing but dote on him lately. "Now come on, before one of my other emotions end up visiting you."

Beast boy rose from the chair, irritated. "I already to you, I wasn't talking to an emotion! I was talking to myself."

Raven blinked. "You're more of a weirdo than I thought," she said, and made an abrupt about-face as she left. "Let's get out of here, and maybe you can explain what's going on!"

Then again…

Beast Boy turned his head towards the shadow, where the other Raven was hiding. She smiled at him, and blew a kiss from her darkened position, and mouthed, "Soon!"

Maybe it wasn't so bad being doted on…

He blew her a kiss back, and winked before he left.


	11. Side Effects of Nyquil

Chapter 10

"Care to explain why the territories in my mind are suddenly parts of a house?"

"Raven, I swear, I don't know! I didn't even know I was in your mind!"

Casting a 'yeah-right' look at Beast Boy, Raven said, "Oh please. I saw you go into the book."

He waved his hands in front of himself defensively. "But Raven I didn't even know what I was doing. I think something in your book is hypnotizing me! It's weird, it's like I can't stop going in. I guess I built those houses while I was in there!" Beast Boy took a second look at Raven's face. It wasn't sweaty and as pale as it was before. And her voice was normal. "Hey…I thought you were sick?"

"The medicine finally started working. Now, what exactly could be hypnotizing you?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "I'm not sure, maybe it was a weird disease someone put me on, because now I'm actually conscious that I did it! And you know what? I'll do my best to deconstruct the house in there! I promise!"

Her eyes widened, and Raven started shaking her hands back and forth. "No! No need! Just promised me that you'll never enter my mind again and we'll call it even!"

Beast Boy blinked, amazed that it was that simple. "Uh…okay…deal."

Upon leaving Raven's room, Beast Boy grinned evilly, and brought his fist down in happiness. He had crossed his toes in his shoes! Even though the Feminine Raven was a little creepy, she appreciated him and gave him affection.

Even though the real Raven was being nicer to him lately, things were undoubtedly a bit more awkward. He went to his room with a proud march.

(Later.)

The alarm rang throughout the Tower, making everyone jump out of their rooms; except Raven. As Beast Boy ran to the Main room, he skidded to a halt in front of Raven's door. He pounded on it with his fist. "Hey! Raven! We've got to go! Come on!"

There was no response. He opened the door, and found Raven with a hand to her head. Even though he was aware that he wasn't entirely welcome just now, Beast Boy walked over, and got to his knees to look at her. Her face was perspiring, and her lids were low over her eyes. Putting a hand to her shoulder, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Looking up, Raven let out a breath. "Damb bedicine wore off."

Concerned, Beast Boy stroked a hand down her back. "Is there anything you need? We'd probably need the extra hands."

Raven shrugged, and raised her head. "Probably the Dayquil. It helped be before."

Delighted he could help, Beast Boy rushed out of the room, and in an anime flash, he was back with a tiny dose cup of…NIQUIL??? "You idiot! This is DIQUIL!!!"

Confused, Beast Boy tilted his head. "Huh?"

She groaned, but tried to slow her voice to where the actual word came out. "Niiii-quiiiiiiillll."

Beast Boy cringed. "Oh crap! Well, I'll get---"

A voice over the intercom rang out. "Raven! Beast Boy! We need you out here NOW! We've got the entire Hi-Five holding the Mayor hostage! We need you to leave the Tower on-the-double."

Raven gulped the cup. Grabbing his hand, she flew them both out the window. She let go of his hand was they were outside, and the second she did, Beast Boy changed into an eagle.

(City Hall.)

The area was quiet and spooky. No one was talking, only trying to listen. Everyone on the outside was tense and alert, ready for anything. Cop cars were parked in a half-circle around the front entrance to City Hall, and multiple policemen were guarding all other possible exits. The Captain was bracing himself behind the car, and was speaking into a megaphone. "This is the J.C.P.D., we have the premises surrounded! If you come out slowly, the Mayor with you, then we won't open fire!"

All five of the Teen Titans, who were standing behind the Captain, gave him an odd look. The Mayor was inside there; and if they started shooting for any reason, the Hi-Five would find some way to draw the Mayor into the line of fire, the exact thing everyone was trying to avoid. The threat was ridiculous. "Officer, if you don't mind, I think we can handle this." The Captain was too busy sucking up the drama to listen to them. All eyes went to Robin, who reluctantly nodded, and the Titan's quietly went different ways.

Starfire, carrying Cyborg, flew to the top of the building, Robin swung into an open window before the police surrounding it could stop him. Beast Boy and Raven slithered into the front doors, using her powers to disguise themselves. Once inside, they both rose to their feet, and observed the familiar setting of the interior of City Hall. The front room was gorgeously lavished in velvet waiting cushions, and several lifeless flags on poles sat on either side of the entrance hallway. The ceiling was decorated with a detailed mural of soldiers marching honorably into battle. The reception desk at the far end of the entrance hall had an expertly carved relief on the broad front. Lastly, the plush entry carpet in front of them was covering a beautiful marble floor.

Among all this beautiful scenery, the only thing that fazed the two Titan's remotely was, "the carpet."

Raven looked over at Beast Boy. He looked up at her with a cheery smile. "His carpet was red last time. Now it's jade."

She looked down, and sure enough, a soft jade-green carpet rested under her feet. "How'd you doe it was jade?"

He grinned. "I happen to be an expert on green."

Her eyes rolled, but when she let out her breath, she felt a drift of tiredness. Raven staggered, but before she could fall, Beast Boy grabbed her wrist, and gently cradled her back to straighten her. Once she was standing again, she put her hand to her forehead. His brows met at his nose. "Rave? What's wrong?"

Her lids fell over her eyes briefly, but they opened at the sound of the strange name. "Rave?"

His eyes widened. "Uh…Rave-N."

She wanted to inquire about his mistake, but her medicated mind was too confused to handle it. "It's the Diquil. Bedicine always works too quick on be."

He looked sympathetic. "Why don't you rest on one of these couches then?"

The look Raven gave him said he had grown two heads. "Are you crazy? The Hi-Five is holdin-k the Bayor hostage! I cad afford to rest!" His eyes were wide, but they softened into a smile that Raven didn't entirely understand. "What?"

Beast Boy shook his head in admiration. "You never quit. It's awesome."

Raven blinked, and blushed again, a recent habit. "Thang you."

He nodded, and they suddenly heard a loud **BANG**!

They rushed into the doors by the reception desk. Right there was the Hi-Five. There was apparently an exaggeration in the report. There was only Gizmo, Mammoth, and Jinx. But, sitting in the middle of the room, was the Honorable Mayor of Jump City tied to a chair with his mouth gagged, and a gun recently fired into the floor. "Now, now, let's not get impatient!" Mammoth said, and slowly stalked over to the Mayor.

"Hold it!"

Four heads turned to two. Since there was only one other Titan, Raven said, "Beast Boy! Go!" Together, they leapt at their enemies. Beast Boy ran to Jinx, who stood her ground, ready to fight the puny little guy. Puny, soon changed to enormous as Beast Boy transformed into a large Rhinoceros, and charged her, lifting his horn between her legs, and tossing her into the air, until she landed on Gizmo. Raven was busy tossing random items in the office at Mammoth while Beast Boy quickly changed mostly back to normal, except for his hand that he transformed into a claw, and sliced through the rope around the Mayor.

"What's happening?" Beast Boy turned, and saw Robin. Thinking fast, Beast Boy tossed Robin the Mayor. "Sorry your Highness…uh...dude…whatever! Take him outside Robin! Raven and I got things covered." Clearly a little put-off at not being in a position of command, Robin did as he was told.

Beast boy was on fire, Jinx went down easy and so had Gizmo. As he turned to Raven, he watched her get weaker and weaker as she made feeble hits at Mammoth. '_That stuff really does work fast!_' He looked up at the ceiling, did a quick calculation, and changed into a Tyrannosaurus, and taking only two gigantic steps, He swatted Mammoth with his massive tail.

Grinning, and feeling on top of the world as he noticed the fallen enemies around him, Beast Boy jumped onto the desk, and said with great pride, "VICTORYYYY BEAST BOY!!!! WOOO!" His hands went up in the air, and opened his mouth, ready to begin his classic victory dance, when he heard a soft, pitiful moan. He looked over, and saw Raven about to drop to her knees. He got off the desk as fast as he had gotten on it, and caught Raven. She was snoozing in his arms before he knew it. A smile spread over his face as he watched her sleep. The way she curled against him combined with the soft snoring, was utterly adorable, and Beast Boy wasn't afraid to admit it.

"Beast Boy! What has happened to Raven?"

He looked up at Starfire and Cyborg. With that warm smile still in place, Beast Boy picked Raven up and said, "Raven's medicine started working at a bad time, I'll take her back to the Tower."

(The Tower.)

Raven's eyes blinked open. Her vision was somewhat blurry, but she recognized the green blob instantly. "Beast Boy? What happened?"

His smile was comforting. It wasn't the usual annoying cheer, but a simple, sweet smile. "After we saved the Mayor your Nyquil kicked in."

Frustrated at herself for giving into it, Raven kicked into the air, noting the blanket. She was in bed? Feeling around, she noted that she wasn't wearing her shoes. "Did you take my shoes off?"

He nodded. "And your cape."

Her mouth opened, and she checked under the covers. Sure enough, she was only in her leotard. "Um…thanks."

Shrugging it off, Beast Boy leaned back on the chair he was sitting in. "No problem. And it sounds like you've cleared up."

And he was right. Her head was lighter, her congestion was gone. "Well…hopefully this time it won't wear off."

Beast Boy's smile broadened. "Oh, just to warn you, you missed dinner."

Raven shrugged after glancing at the analog clock beside her bed. "I'm not surprised; it's 9:00 o'clock." Her stomach growled. "I guess I need to eat though."

If it were possible, Beast Boy's grin broadened again, and he shoved a plastic container to her. "But I made you something."

Blinking in surprise, Raven sat up, and opened the bowl. Inside was broth and noodles. She looked up at him. "It's broth, not real chicken. Not really compromising my morals, and since I didn't know if you would still be sick or not, I thought I should make you something that usually makes people feel better."

Her mouth wide open, Raven blushed at the thoughtfulness. "That's…really sweet of you."

He shrugged, but his eyes gave him away. He was very pleased with himself over this. "It's the least I could do."

Raven sipped up the soup with the spoon he offered. After it was gone, she put the bowl on the desk. "What happened with the Hi-Five?"

He shrugged. "They went to the arraignment, made bail. What else is new?"

She let out a scoff. "Almost defeats the purpose doesn't it?"

He smiled. "Well, somebody's got to do it."

Raven shrugged in agreement. "I suppose." Realizing only now that she hadn't yet thanked him for the soup, she did so now. He flapped his hand in a forget-it gesture.

"You're a friend. And that's what friends do for each other."

Raven truly was grateful, but she was getting quite warm. The blanket was heavy, and she usually changed into a nightie when things got too hot. So in order for her to change, she would prefer if Beast Boy left the room. However, just as she opened her mouth, Beast Boy plopped on the bed beside her. "You really kicked butt today."

Raven snorted. "Please. I just tossed some office supplies at him. You were the one who kicked butt."

He blushed, and casually put his arm around her like he did it all the time. She didn't like that…right? "Thanks Rave."

She pulled away a little to look at him properly. His face was unusually close. His face was literally centimeters from hers. "You just did it again."

He looked confused. "Huh?"

"You did it again, you called me Rave."

He blinked, then blushed suspiciously, but he didn't draw back. "Um...I don't know, I've been experimenting with new nicknames for people. Do you…I don't know, not like it?"

Raven thought about it for a moment, remembering her dream. There, he had called her Rae. That was alright, she supposed, but Rave definitely sounded more sophisticated. And somewhat…cooler. "I…do…I like it," Raven said, unintentionally repeating the words she had said in her dream. When she looked over at him, he was a little bit taller than usual. "Uh…how did you get so tall?"

He looked confused, but pointed down, and Raven noticed he was sitting on a pillow. "Oh." Suddenly, Raven realized that things were following the events of her dream. Intentional or not. But, the last part of her dream flitted into her mind, and Raven's eyes widened. Surely he didn't intend…but, as he drew closer, she said to herself, '_Oh yes, he does!_'

His eyes were closing, and Raven froze, but then realized that he was checking for fever again. She waited patiently for him to check…but…the next thing she knew, his lips weren't on her forehead…but on her lips.

He was kissing her!

Her eyes closed, as if by instinct, but from that point, her thoughts ceased. Everything around them was gone. There was no bed, there was no Tower, and there wasn't even a city. It was just her, and Beast Boy. His mouth was soft and supple against hers. He tasted like mint, but the flavor was slight, since their mouths were closed. Before she could remedy that, Beast Boy pulled away from her faster than a bolt of lightening.

But, through impulse, Raven grabbed his uniform, and yanked him back to her mouth. He resisted for a second, but then he responded with a fierceness that sent her flying onto her back on the bed. His mouth wouldn't open, but his lips were pressed fiercely against hers in a passionate grasp that she couldn't escape, even if she wanted to. There was such pleasure to be found in the kiss, that everything else was gone. Raven didn't even notice when some of the ornaments on her shelves began to fall. She arched uncontrollably against him, and heard him moan. As if it was a wake-up call, Raven yelped against his mouth, and she felt him rise. Panting, she watched his eyes widen in fear. His body was still over hers, and he must have noticed. He got up, and ran out of her room without a word.

Knowing that if the emotions inside her continued to rise, Raven gathered her toiletries, and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower, zipping past Beast Boy's door.

Beast Boy, who was busy steaming in his room, was running his finger through his hair. Perhaps to the point where it would all fall out, but he didn't care. How could he do that?! Raven was one of his best friends, and things would no doubt be awkward between them for a while. Unless he…finally explained what was happening with the Feminine Raven. Maybe that was the explanation to all the weird things that were happening lately. That, plus Raven's…_thing_. Beast Boy shuddered dramatically, but he stood up to confront her.

Used to just walking in now, he opened the door, and saw that Raven wasn't in the room. He shrugged, and figured he could wait for her. But, as fate would have it, he ended up entering the book.

How bad was it when he ended up visiting her three times in one day? He entered the library of the house, a.k.a. Knowledge's old territory. Inside, he tried to select a book to read, so he could wait for Raven, but, just as he reached for a novel, a hand grabbed his, and in a dizzying flourish, Beast Boy found himself in Feminine Raven's arms. She was grinning broadly, in a way that he found…rather creepy. "Hey sweetie!"

Beast Boy smiled awkwardly. Almost as a joke, he said, "Uh..say, Rave, didn't you tell me that you're made from lots of other emotions?"

Her nod was rapid, as if she wanted to make a point of her own, and quick. "What exactly are you made of?" He said, on the verge of laughing.

She appeared to think about it. "I'm not really sure. I know there's Happy, Knowledge…oh, I know there's Anger, an---"

Alarm bells rang in Beast Boy's head. "Wait…what? Did you just say…anger?"

She nodded again, vigorously, the movement causing her hood to fall. "Of course! So, it would be wise for no one to upset me! But you know _you_ could _never_ upset me BB."

He almost shuddered at the attempted seduction. But then, it occurred to him, how big a problem this was: Feminine Raven was made of Anger!

But that seemed to be the last thing on her mind as a finger trailed up his shirt and to tap his nose. "Anyway, you know what you did today?"

Beast Boy shook his head nervously. "You kissed me!"

Since he was still a little dizzy, he hadn't fully comprehended what she meant. But he came to understand it when her big lips squished on his.

From that moment on, never again would Beast Boy question the meaning of the phrase 'Suck Face'.


	12. One Last Kiss :SortaShort:

Chapter 11 (A/N: **BE WARNED, THIS CHAPTER MIGHT SCARE SOME!**)

Beast Boy put his face on his gloved hands. He was in an extreme state of emotional distress. Even though he was sitting a on a very comfy bed, in a very comfy robe, he was still miserable. After Raven had kissed him, he really hadn't felt that good about himself. He requested the use of a shower, so she led him to Happy's territory for the bathroom. He was a little surprised at first that Happy's room was a bathroom, but then it occurred to him that nothing should be able to surprise him by now.

Beast Boy changed back into his uniform, and let out a loud sigh. He hadn't even begun to comprehend what he had gotten himself into when he first saw the Feminine Raven. Now, he was beginning to see the big picture. Taking the time to chat with Raven seriously after she had kissed him, he'd discovered that she was made of Anger, Happy, Wisdom, Knowledge, Brave, Timid, and one emotion that Beast Boy hadn't met: Affection (A/N: Thank you Joshua.)

But Anger…this could be bad. He had seen the horrible potential Anger had, and really didn't want to bring it out. So in order to do that, he should probably ask her what he could do to keep her from getting mad.

Once he managed to meet up with Raven again, he asked her just that. She responded in a very girly way, "Well, in the first place, I guess you could _not_ keep on coming on to the real Raven, you could make sure to visit me every day, and try not to argue with me. And try not to ignore my affections, for that would bweak my hahrt."

Her very answer was almost as ridiculous as the baby-talk she used as she spoke the last of it. He would find it really hard to not ignore her affections, although why he didn't know; he almost never argued with her anyway; visiting her everyday might become an issue with him being a superhero, and he did NOT come on to Raven!!! Especially lately with the uncomfortable tension that would be between them now. Sure, he might have…oh, he didn't know really…flirt with her a LITTLE, but that was all really harmless. Then again, when one was infatuated, jealousy held no boundaries. '_Whoa there!_' Since when did he get so…formal in his vocabulary? Perhaps it was all the time he spent with Feminine Raven. And now he was going to have to spend even more time around her if he wanted to steer clear of her anger. But for today, since he had visited her multiple times, he figured he could go now. "Alright then! I've noted everything! Well, it's probably getting late in the real world, so would you mind if I left for the day?"

She pouted pathetically, but she didn't fight him. "Okay; I don't want to keep you from getting your rest. Do I get a kiss goodnight?" Raven pouted her big lips, and waited.

Holding back a flinch, he leaned forward, and kissed her. It was short, but fortunately she didn't yell at him for it. She just waggled her fingers in farewell, and watched him leave. This attitude she was giving him was sort of scary, but he supposed that it was his own fault for encouraging it with all the winking he did when he visited her recently.

Taking his leave, he exited through the forbidden door. After he popped out of the book, he reached down, put it back up on the shelf, and was about ready to leave when the door opened. Beast Boy held up his hands, ready to explain himself, but apparently, Raven hadn't even noticed him. That became obvious when she flipped on her light, and, with her back still to him, took off her robe.

Beast Boy's eyes bulged out of his head, and his jaw fell to the floor. She hadn't turned around, so Beast Boy took his time to shamelessly observe the view. But as he watched her remove the towel from her head and shake out her hair, he thought he should tell her he was here. "Eep," he squeaked.

Raven flipped her head around, and her eyes grew about as wide as Beast Boy's had. "Damn you Beast Boy! What the hell are you doing in here!!??"

He lost his memory for a moment, but then he shook his head to clear it, and said, "I was trying to work out what happened before."

She finally had her robe back on. Then she turned around, and paused, then pulled a few strands of her wet hair out of the robe as she said, "Well you didn't get it off to a very good start."

The real seriousness of the situation came to Beast Boy then, and his face turned somber, and his ears even drooped. "I know. But I really want to get this mess sorted out."

Her eyes rose to his, and Beast Boy looked at her peculiarly. "Uh…aren't I usually shorter than you?"

Raven looked down at her feet, and groaned. He followed her gaze. Her feet were petite, and her toes were a little chubby; very cute in a Raven sort of way. Beast Boy looked up as she walked to her closet, and stepped one foot into a shoe. He looked on in surprise as he saw her gain a couple inches. "But…those don't have a heel."

Raven looked down, and pulled the robe up a bit. "They're on the inside."

A brow rose. "Why?"

Raven shrugged, and slipped into her other shoe. "Azarath fashion."

Beast Boy indignantly put his hands on his hips. "Aw! Not fair! You've gotten away with being taller than me all this time when you're really not?"

She hung her head at him in annoyance as she slid into her walk-in closet, speaking to him behind the sliding door. "I wore what made me comfortable. Don't make me a victim of your petty competition."

He couldn't help but smirk a little at her intelligent little come-back. But he got straight to business, knowing that his improvised idea would stop the new founded chemistry between them, and it would help him keep Feminine Raven from getting angry. "Anyway, I know that what happened earlier really was an accident. I don't know how it happened exactly, and I don't know why." He continued to talk as Raven came out of her closet, fully dressed, and went to her bed to make it. "But I know that neither of us wanted it to happen. So, I figure, that maybe you and I could put it behind us once and for all." As she suddenly faced him again, her hood fell back, and he saw the glow and twinkle in her soft violet eyes. "And have one last kiss, to stop everything for good."

The violet eyes widened again, and Beast Boy had to restrain himself from doing the same thing. He hadn't intended to suggest such a thing as one last kiss. But when he saw her eyes sparkle like that, he felt some sudden compulsion to kiss her again.

But why not? When he kissed Feminine Raven, he had hated it. It was moist, there was too much suction, and her lips were way too big. But when he'd kissed the real Raven…wow! Her lips were soft, like suede. Feminine Raven kissed forcefully, but the real Raven kissed passionately. Her lips were warm and sweet, and even though she just had had soup at the time, her breath was wonderfully sweet. Raven kissed well one would never guess it was her first kiss.

"One last kiss huh?"

He was brought back into reality by her words. "Yeah. Personally, I think it would help us get our friendship back. Or what there was of it."

Raven appeared to give it a lot of thought, for her eyes shifted in almost every direction. "And from here on it's nothing but our friendship?"

Beast Boy nodded. "Sure. We had a good thing going on before all this kissing stuff started to happen."

She nodded in agreement. "Alright."

Walking up to him, Raven closed her eyes, and pursed her lips a little. But before she could do anything, Beast Boy put a finger on her mouth. She looked down at him in confusion, and leaned back from his touch. "What?"

He grinned happily. "No fair, take off your shoes."

She let out a scoff. "Come on! Just let me get it over with!"

Beast Boy wasn't sure if he should be insulted, but he decided not to take it that way. He crossed his arms in a demanding way, and put his nose in the air in mock superiority. "Come on, you're gonna be taller than me for a long time because of those heels! The least you could do is give me now."

Puffing out her cheeks in an aggravated sigh, Raven slipped out of her boots. She couldn't tell Beast Boy the real reason she was agreeing to one last kiss. He did it very well, so it probably wasn't his first one. Either way, the enjoyment of their last kiss was short-lived, so she wanted this one to be in her memory. Something that she would keep hidden in her mind away from anyone else so she could always remember what this one time was like.

As she looked up at him from her shortened position, Raven flapped her hands out. "Happy now?" She asked in annoyance.

With that typical irritating grin, Beast Boy dropped his hands, and said with absolute smugness, "Yes, I believe I am."

Her eyes rolled, but before she could comment again, Beast Boy was cupping her cheeks and leaning down towards her face. She watched in fascination as his face came closer to hers. His eyes sparkled in anticipation, but they were void of any amusement, and his face was solemn and focused. She had never seen him like that. He looked…handsome.

Unlike the other times she had complimented him recently she didn't want to take this one back. She was proud of the way she felt. Why, she didn't know. But no time was left for her to think about it, for his lips came down to hers. First, he gently pecked her mouth a couple times, before moving down further to take them completely. He was being very tender, and was treating her sensitively, as if taking care. It was interesting as to last time where they were both pretty urgent; but now, Beast Boy was being incredibly gentle, as if he wanted to savor it as much as she did. Her emotions were currently on simmer, so there wasn't anything very explosive about it. That being the case, there probably wasn't any danger in her putting her hand on his wrist.

He brought his hands to her shoulders, and lower still until they snuck under her cape and around her hips. What was coming over her? Her arms were wrapping around his neck, and she had to rise to her toes to meet his mouth properly. His hands caressed her back, in way that would normally make her ticklish, but this time it was a pleasing touch that sent warmth throughout her body. Her eyes, that had slid closed as soon as he had first kissed her, popped open when she felt Beast Boy pry her mouth open.

They slid closed again as she moaned out her acceptance. His tongue stroked past hers, and slowly explored her mouth, like he was trying to memorize every inch. But still, he was gentle, as though not to frighten her, only to bring them both the best pleasure. And it was _definitely_ working for her. His gentle passion was such a balm to her tainted soul, she didn't even care that suddenly her bed was creaking. He tasted so good! Like the herbal tea he'd spent the day drinking. A private smile came to her, and just as she was about to return his kiss, she jolted back in fright as her bed dropped from his legs to the floor. Raven covered her mouth in shock, she turned to Beast Boy, who looked like he was feeling a little guilty. Blushing, Raven clasped her hands behind her. "Maybe you better go."

He nodded a light blush of his own illuminating his cheeks. As he was leaving, his face disappeared behind the door. Then, when it appeared again, a mischievous grin lit his face. "Oh, and Raven?"

She rose her eyebrows in acknowledgement. "You could bounce a quarter of that!"

Raven lunged at him, but laughing, Beast Boy shut the door before she could attack.

Beast Boy leaned against the closed door in his room, and closed his eyes. He knew Raven liked it, he could tell by her eager response. He wanted to keep things soft. His previous kiss of the day was with Feminine Raven, and that was disgusting! But now…everything was so sweet and emotional his heart started aching. Raven… she was so smart, funny, brave, so…beautiful.

He hung his head and started to laugh at himself. Something was really wrong with him. He had always known these things in the back of his head, but ever since the Feminine Raven came out, he started thinking about them in the front of his head. Geez, Feminine Raven was trying to get him to fall in love with _her_, but he was actually falling i-**WHOA WHOA WHOA TIME FRIGGIN OUT**!

No way! No how! Impossible! Not gonna happen! He did NOT love Raven! No way! He was just…getting…feelings for her…that was ALL. He was a guy for crying out loud, guys didn't get emotional and mushy!

Clearing his throat, and hiking up his belt, Beast Boy strutted comically to his bunk bed. It had been a long day.

(In Raven's mind the next day.)

"It was hard to escape, but I managed to sneak in here before Raven caught me."

Raven tilted her head. "Well, I'm so glad you took the risk."

Beast Boy grinned mock proudly. "Hey, it was worth it."

Raven smiled softly, but her eyes shifted away.

Paranoid to even the slightest emotional change, Beast Boy's eyes went wide with panic. "What's wrong?"

Her wide doe-eyes bore through him, but he was worried he could see some strange emotion in there that he really didn't want to get involved with. "Well, I could feel it."

Confused, Beast Boy tilted his head, and leaned back onto the book shelf. "Feel what?"

Suddenly, the fuschia cape turned a deep, blood red, and her eyes changed to the very same color. There were also two more. Her nails looked a little sharper as she clawed out her fingers. "**You … kissed … RAAAAVEEEENNNNN!!!**"


	13. Revealing Part One

Chapter 12

Beast Boy instinctively went on guard, bracing his feet and hands in a protective stance. "Whoa! Wait a minute! I thought you wanted me to kiss Raven?"

Raven was heaving out an angry breath, and though it frightened Beast Boy, he wasn't about to show it. "**You LIKED it!**"

His eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

Through her already rising anger level, her annoyance shined through. "**I could FEEL it!**"

"Did you feel what I was thinking?"

Her abnormal breathing stopped as she considered his question, but her eyes were still red, her robe was still red, and her nails still looked unusually jagged. "**No**."

Beast Boy felt a wave of relief wash over him. He was blessed with an incredibly sharp wit, as many people knew. It came in handy in several situations; this being one of them. "Well then you wouldn't know that I was thinking of the whole time."

She looked kind of odd, her confused expression combined with the horrible appearance of her anger. "**No**," she said again.

He put all of his charm behind his smile. "I was thinking of how much I wanted to kiss you instead of her."

Instantly, her entire persona changed, and she was back to her old self. Her eyes were wide and bright, matching her smile. "Really?"

Beast Boy's smile spread a little too wide, but he was lying, and he always over-expressed when he was lying. "Of course!"

Looking ready to cry tears of joy, she threw her arms around him. "Oh, Beast Boy!"

As he returned her embrace, he let out a silent breath of relief. Yet again, his quick wit managed to save him! He took the triumphant grin off his face as Raven pulled out of his embrace. Her lips pursed obnoxiously in front of his face, and he reluctantly leaned forward again. '_I think Cyborg did a triple spin bonus on the last course…of course! That's the only way he could have won! But if_…'

Beast Boy's eyes widened in shock, for he felt a slippery invasion inside his mouth. He wanted to squirm, but he remembered that he was trying to maintain a certain personality here. Forcing himself into a stiff, yet close position to her, he tried kissing her back. Again, nothing like kissing the real Raven. This was sloppy, too wet, and had too much defensive force behind it. Pulling away, Beast Boy smiled politely, and wiped his mouth. "I hate to cut short, but I've got to go."

She sighed in disappointment, but right now she was getting used to him leaving soon, so she didn't fight as much, nor did she suspect remotely why he was leaving. Feminine Raven, while being a little too…smoochy, was definitely naïve too. Sighing, Beast Boy made his way to the Forbidden Door, but this time, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Really wanting to leave, he turned around to tell Feminine Raven that he REALLY had to go, but he was instead confronted with Rude. After wiping her nose with her sleeve, she sniffed, and said, "Hey."

A little flustered, Beast Boy acknowledged her, and started scratching the back of his head. "Uh…hey."

She put her hands on her hips. "So, what's with you?"

He tilted his head. "What do you mean what's with me?"

She let out a belch that had Beast Boy grinning, but she continued. "You haven't told anyone."

His eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I've been watching you. I know that you're trying to keep her Anger under control, cool. But you do realize you little parasite that if you told people outside about this, then you could join up like teams do and fix this like a team?"

Embarrassed, Beast Boy, shifted his foot. "Yeah, so?"

Her brow rose, and she let out a completely off-the-wall statement. "Are you coming back here every day because a part of you wants to be loved by Raven and you know that the only way you'll get it is if you stay with the Feminine Side? And you're craving love and affection from Raven because you love her?"

Beast Boy's jaw dropped to the floor. "Whoa! Okay! Number one, that was totally freaky; number two, I do not want affection or whatever; number three, that's not true; number four, I TOTALLY don't love Raven!"

A skeptical brow went up. "Yeah…uh-huh…sure." With that note, she walked off into another territory. Beast Boy, a little mad that she was so presumptuous, crossed his arms, and huffed. She actually thought that he loved Raven; pssh! Yeah right! He might be closer to Raven, and he might admire her, maybe even like her body a little, but he did NOT absolutely **NOT** love her! With that thought repeating itself in his head like a broken record, Beast Boy strode off.

(In the real world.)

Beast Boy, having just placed the book back, heard Raven's door opening. Gasping, and knowing a little better this time, Beast Boy changed into a fly and picked a spot on her wall to stay on. After the human-demon hybrid made her bed, and awfully meticulously, her communicator went off. Beast Boy wondered what that was about, since they usually used the PA alarm to talk to each other throughout the Tower. "Raven, there's a little girl missing her parents in the park. Could you escort her back to her parents at the Police Station? It's a simple case that only requires one Titan and it's your turn."

Raven shrugged, but said into her communicator. "Who's next for one of these 'simple cases'?"

There was a brief pause on the other side of the line, then, "Beast Boy."

"That makes up for a minor inconvenience."

If Beast Boy currently had lips, he would smile with them. His curiosity taking over his will, Beast Boy followed Raven as she flew out the window. She was going quite fast, so it was hard to keep up, but he kept his eyes on her, and at one point he changed into an eagle. Since it was a relatively cloudy day with a good chance of rain, Raven didn't notice him for her concentration was on the child she had to save.

Once they arrived, Beast Boy did a sharp nose-dive into a tall tree, and changed into a light green monkey so he could blend in with the leaves. He watched Raven look around, and he suddenly heard some crying. Apparently, Raven noticed it too, for she was rushing off in some unknown direction. Dropping a little lower in the tree, Beast Boy squinted to get a better look. He had no idea why he was pursuing her so desperately, he just knew he was. There was honestly no reason to, for if she had the child, then all she would have to do is comfort her a little, and take her to the Station. But for some odd reason, he was captivated with the sight before him. Raven was sitting on a bench with a little girl in adorable blonde pig-tails, rocking her to and fro. Then, to his complete surprise, Raven let out a compassionate smile as she hugged the youngster tighter. His heart melted as he watched.

Raven gently rocked little Alyssa back and forth, and tried not to release the warm tenderness spreading through her blackened heart. "Okay sweetie, your mommy and daddy are waiting at the Police Station okay, and I'm gonna take you there so you can all be happy. Would you like that?"

Obviously scared that she didn't have her family with her, she nodded shakily. "Uh-huh."

Raven noticed how shaky Alyssa was, and wasn't sure how to calm her down. Stroking her hair, and pulling her a little tighter, Raven looked around in a panic. Relief struck when she saw an ice cream stand. Using her telekinetic powers, she handed the vendor some money. He looked ready to scream until Raven made a black claw with her powers, and pointed it to herself and Alyssa. The ice cream vendor, clearly relieved scooped out some random ice cream, and held out his hand for Raven to take. Casting him a grateful glance, Raven accepted it, and showed it to Alyssa, who squealed in delight and the chilly treat, before taking the cone, and holding it close to her as she licked up big slurps. The process was incredibly messy, and Raven tried to keep a polite face on as her hands got coated in the ice cream that Alyssa hadn't slurped.

Picking up the little girl, Raven looked around, and made her way through the park and across the street to the Police Station. At the front steps, was a cringing couple; the woman looked broken apart the way she was crying, while the man's jaw was set, like he was trying to help his wife by being strong. He looked as cold as ice, until he saw Raven, bringing up the little girl, and he shook his wife a little to get her blood-shot eyes up. The relief and joy on their faces was satisfying and touching, Raven begrudgingly admitted to herself. "She'll be fine, she's just a bit shaken up."

Upon noticing her parents, Alyssa dropped her already-eaten ice cream cone. "Mommy! Daddy!"

The man, who looked so impregnable up to this point, burst into tears as he held his daughter to his heart, damn the sticky ice cream getting on his expensive business suit. They silently mouthed their thanks as they held their little girl.

Raven shrugged it off, but it truly made her feel good to do something so nice. It was a bad thing to admit that, so she walked off before any more unwanted feelings surfaced. All of a sudden, she let out a yell as Beast Boy popped up in front of her. "Hey Raven!"

Grunting, she walked past him. "What do you want? And how did you get here?"

He caught up to her, and handed her a napkin. "To help you. That girl got a little ice cream on you. And I followed you. I thought maybe if the case got complicated I could help out."

Finally conceding to the gooey mess on her palm, she accepted the napkin that he had dampened for her, and wiped the residue away. Mentally, she didn't deny that it was a little weird that he followed her, but she supposed it was a nice thing to do, considering a little girl was at stake. "You were really sweet to her you know?"

Raven looked over at Beast Boy, who had an eerie look of hidden intent on his face. "You mean with Alyssa? She's a nice little girl. She was terrified when I first found her; I just wanted to make sure she was okay before I got her back."

He smiled tenderly. "It was really considerate of you Raven."

She shrugged off, wondering why he was taking it so seriously when that was a daily job for them. "That's SOP when we come across kids Beast Boy."

Beast Boy's smile left his face for a moment, and Raven strangely found herself wishing it would come back. "Yeah, but I've never seen you around kids before Raven."

She wrinkled her nose. "I usually don't handle well around kids to be honest. But she was terrified. What was I supposed to do, do my usual squirming bit and run away from her when she was all alone and didn't know where her parents were?"

He laughed. "Yeah, but come on. One might expect the oh-so-distant Raven to get the parents right across the street, point to a bench, and call it a day."

She stopped in her tracks, and noticed that they were in the park again. There was a low rumbling in the sky, indicating the onset of a storm. Appalled that he would think her so cruel, she said, "What kind of person do you think I am? That little girl didn't have her parents around with a storm on the way and she was afraid. It's not a good feeling to be alone and afraid."

His ears dropped. "You grew up like that."

Ashamed that she had disclosed such personal feelings, Raven turned away, and tried to maintain self-control. "Yes, so take my word for it that it's not a good feeling okay?"

Beast Boy was silent, so Raven turned to face him, but he was gone. Confused, she turned back around, suddenly meeting the grinning green face. "Ahh!" She shouted in surprise. Holding back her anger, Raven gave him a glare that would frighten small animals. Fortunately, Beast Boy wasn't a small animal.

He held up a plastic ice cream dish, and there was no mistaking the flavor of the abundant mounds in the dish: Superman.

Beast Boy handed her a spoon, and jerked his chin to a nearby picnic bench. Following him, and not entirely sure why, Raven said, "What are you doing?"

As he dug into the ice cream, Beast Boy gave himself a derisive smirk. "I haven't exactly had the hottest day, and I think a good dose of ice cream medicine is the perfect cure."

She shook her head. "What is it with you and sweet junk-food metaphors?"

Beast Boy smiled. "Hey, you won't let me make Tofu metaphors." A matching smirk spread over Raven's face. "At least let me make some sweets metaphors."

Raven scooped some Superman onto her spoon. In this shortly-made change in their relationship, Raven had grown quite attached to this ice cream. Attempting to break the awkward silence that was bound to come, she tried to make small-talk. "So, have you found yourself a girl? You know, for our deal?"

Beast Boy's eyes cast downwards again. "No."

Raven scooped some more Superman. "Why not?"

He looked up with an almost mocking smile. "Have you found yourself a guy yet?"

No, she hadn't. "Point taken." Beast Boy looked up at her for a moment, then pushed the dish towards her. She looked at it for a second, then back up at him. "What's wrong?"

He looked a little upset as he put the spoon in the trash. "I guess I'm just not hungry."

Her eyes almost popped out of her head. "Are you okay?"

As he met her eyes, she could instantly tell he wasn't. Not only was he giving off some kind of distressed vibes, but his eyes were sparkling in sorrow. "Why do you look so upset?"

Beast Boy leaned forward in interest, a little discerning to Raven, considering his expression read something along the lines of pitiful interest. "Rave?"

Still a little unused to her new nickname, she lifted the ice cream dish, for it was slowly melting into a liquid. Her brows lifted in acknowledgement as another roll of thunder rocked across the sky, this one a little more booming, causing them both to look up. The sky was darkening, despite the fact that it wasn't even near dusk. The clouds coated over the sky like stuffing in a pillow. There was no bit of blue, only dark gray clouds shifting over one another, the wind change another sign that rain was to come. She looked back down just as Beast Boy started to talk. "Why were you always so alone Raven? What about your mom?"

Shocked that their conversation had taken such a personal turn, she sat immobile for a second. Trying to avoid the subject, she looked at the pool of ice cream in the cup, averting Beast Boy's eyes, and muttered quietly, "Well, you figured out that I was alone to begin with, can't you figure out why?"

He stood up, walked over to her side of the table, and sat down beside her. His face stamped with that handsome solemn appearance, he said slowly, "I could guess a lot of things. But I want to hear it from you."

She still tried to let it go. "Why?"

Beast Boy took her hand, a comforting gesture, for his thumb traced the line of her veins gently while squeezing warmly. "Because you're my friend, and it's only fair. I took care of you when you were sick, and I let you see my hands. No one else since…years ago."

Raven pulled back her hood. His hand was comforting, even though it was covered by a bulky glove. "Since when, exactly?"

Blushing a little, Beast Boy's grip went limp, but he wouldn't let go. "Since the accident."

She couldn't help the intrigue that rose within her. "What accident?"

His eyes rose to hers, filled with deep seeded grief. "When I was little, I was pretty much a normal kid. I had my parents, my parents had me and their jobs, and that was it. But…well, my parents went to Africa for a few months to do research. They were geneticists," He explained at her confused face. "Anyway, when they came back, they brought some disease samples with them that they took from animals and plants and stuff back in Africa. Being a kid, I got into pretty much anything I could find. Long story short, I caught one of the diseases. I think it was called Sakutia…or…something."

Raven's eyes went wide at hearing this. She had read a couple times about the horrible toxin. But the last time she had read about it, she was almost positive that it was listed as fatal.

"It was normally deadly, but my parents were working on a treatment for it. They used it on me to save my life. But it wasn't totally developed yet, so I ended up with animal DNA and green skin. My parents were really supportive, but in public they would always cover me up." Beast Boy was clearly getting choked up, and she held his hand tighter to reassure him. "Anyway," he said, clearing his throat. "I was pretty much okay with it, until they died in a lab accident. I was adopted by the Doom Patrol. Have you heard of them?"

Her eyes wide again, she nodded, dumbfounded. The Doom Patrol was a legendary Special Forces team, but no where at no time had Beast Boy ever mentioned that he was a member. "So, I lived with them for a while. That was when they changed my name to Beast Boy. They still called me by my real name once in a while, but I was from then on Beast Boy. Even when I left them and met the Titans, that's who I was, and probably who I always will be. So I left everything behind. My appearance, my name, and obviously my hands. It wasn't until I met the Titan's that I felt confident enough to take off my mask. And I guess not until recently that I was ready to take off the gloves."

She felt compelled to ask. "So, what about your name?"

He smiled slightly then looked up, his eyes shining with tears that refused to move. "Garfield Mark Logan. Mark, after my dad."

Touched, Raven held his hand closer to herself, and her own emotions started to consume her. That fact became evident as the skies ripped apart and the rain started to fall. A black spark appeared between their hands, and Raven wondered why she wasn't really feeling anything negative towards Beast Boy…all she was feeling was…_**no**_. Absolutely not! She might have a little better of a friendship bond with that story he just told, but no way did she…_care_ about him. Her hormones might even be reacting to him a little more lately, but that was IT!

To prove it, she let go of his hand to bring her hood up, and didn't try to hold it again. He took it instead, and pulled them into the shade, where they were at least a little drier. The wind was suddenly bracing, giving away the onslaught Raven's emotions brought to her senses. Beast Boy gave her an odd look. "Your emotions are acting up?"

A little embarrassed, Raven blushed, and said, "Yeah. I sort of felt sad at your story."

His brows furrowed in confusion, but he let the subject drop, although he appeared like he was going to save it for later. "So?"

Gasping, and looking back at him, she said, "So what?"

"So, why were you so alone?"

She was a little unnerved that somehow he brought the whole thing back to her. She was fine with talking about Beast Boy's personal life, just not her own. It killed her how unfair that was. That was why, she found herself opening up to the compassionate changeling. "I didn't have a father when I was little. My mother truly loved me, but I never really got to know her. Remember when I mentioned that I was raised by monks?"

Beast Boy nodded, a private smile on his face as he recalled what the Feminine Side told him. "Well, they made sure that I rarely saw my mother. The less I saw her and felt her love, the less susceptible I was to my father's control. They were always telling me that someday when a 'side' of me was ready, then I could see her, and maybe even let go of my feelings."

When she looked back up at him, his face was wet, and the tree leaves weren't helping them against the relentless pounding of the rain drops. He looked wonderful, but his eyes were full of some kind of shock that she didn't understand.

Beast Boy stood for a second. If the Feminine Raven wasn't around, and if her emotions had combined properly, then maybe the real Raven could finally show how she felt! And here he was, selfishly keeping the truth to himself. But that wasn't the only thing that shocked him. "You barely saw your mom? Did you guys at least get to let go around each other on the few times you got together?"

Letting out a laugh that was lacking in any form of happiness, Raven said, "Of course not. My mother never even held me."

His ears drooped. That was _way_ worse than his situation! "Raven, that's awful!"

She tried to put on a brave face. A futile attempt, for Beast Boy could see how upset she was through her eyes. "It wasn't as bad as it sounds. At least I knew I was cared for."

He shook his head. No way was that enough. "Raven, knowing it, and feeling it are two different things. You never got real proof of how much your mom loved you, but I did because they hugged me all the time. They saved my life. You didn't have a dad, and your mom couldn't hold you. It's better to have loved and lost it than to have never loved at all."

Tears blossomed on Raven's face, but they were lost with the stream of rain sliding down her cheeks. The quote was so corny, but it was actually a nice way to put things in perspective. "That's not true Beast Boy. If you know a good thing, and it gets taken from you, that has to be worse than never knowing it."

At that point, the argument was a little too painful for either of them to continue talking. Instead, Beast Boy brought his arms around her, and she readily accepted the embrace. Lightening was starting to clap throughout the sky, and Raven could hear every echo. She could feel every inch of her wet clothes sticking to her as well as his warmth surrounding her. She could smell the rain on the air, mixed with the natural tang scent of his body as she leaned on his chest and closed her eyes in relaxation. All her senses came alive, and she held on to the moment that the two of them would hold forever: Alone in the rain.

"You know, you can call me Garfield if you want."

Her eyes opened, and she looked up at him, keeping the space between them as minimal as possible. "Are you sure?"

He winked at her flirtatiously. "You and only you okay?"

She blushed, and looked down at her feet.

"Aw, how touching!"

They pulled apart, and saw that stupid Diva standing in front of them, her hands on her hips. She popped open her hand, flame flickering in her palm, illuminating the evil grin on her pretty face. "Pity to spoil the moment, but it's only fair considering you Titans got me GROUNDED!" The tiny ball of fire suddenly burst into a large inferno, about the size of Beast Boy and Raven put together. Without warning, she threw the fire ball to them like a bowler.

Personal safety concerns shot to hell, Beast Boy shoved Raven away, facing the fire. Before he could even try to run, the fire blasted his upper body. "Agh!"

As Beast Boy fell to the ground, he looked over at Raven, and the terror etched into her beautiful face. He continued to stare at her as he fell to the earth. He wanted her to be his last sight as he died. She was his dearest friend, his most trusted companion, the one person that held his deepest secrets.

And he loved her.


	14. Revealing Part Two

Chapter 13

Beast Boy groaned out loud, then looked up, seeing an empty hospital room. What was he doing in one of these? He died didn't he?

'_Apparently not, dumbass._'

Even still, why a hospital? Titans Tower had a more efficient recovery room. He looked down at himself. Not even a scratch. He thought for sure he was literal toast after that Demon Diva fried him (A/N: fry…toast…haha, food humor.) But the fact that he wasn't wounded left room for more confusion as to why he was in a hospital. How did he escape anyway? Maybe Raven used her healing touch. The thought pleased him. That he meant enough to her that she would take the time to heal him, but he dashed it away. Raven was unselfish in every sense of the word. Of course she would heal him it was in her nature to help others, no matter how stupid or insignificant she thought them.

Grunting, he got up on his elbows, and smiled with satisfaction when he discovered that he was in perfect health. Happy that everything was okay, he figured if he found out where the hospital staff took his clothes, then maybe he could go back to the Tower. His trained eyes traveled the luxurious celebrity hospital quarters, until he saw his uniform and communicator on a dresser. Beast Boy let a grin loose, and slipped out of bed, and made his way to the dresser.

"And you thought mine could bounce quarters."

At the sly voice, Beast Boy instinctively turned, and slapped the back of his gown shut. He forgot he was wearing one of those stupid backless hospital gowns! He HATED those things! The first face he saw, was Raven standing in the open doorway, her arms crossed, hood down, and a smirk that was cruel, smug, and totally Raven. Beast Boy refused to let the blush that was threatening rise come into his cheeks. Instead, he tried humor. "You wear black and purple spandex every day you gotta learn to look good in tight clothes."

Her attitude a little uncharacteristic, Raven walked over to the dresser, and started folding his clothes. "You've clearly made the effort."

A pink blush stained Raven's face, and Beast Boy watched in an almost perverse fascination as she tried to cover up her appreciation of his body. "It's a super hero's job to make an effort." A bright smile lit his face, not just because of the humorous comment he made, but also because how rare it was to see Raven blush. But when she did, it was such an oh-so-gratifying experience.

He knew what he could do to make it better. With Raven still facing the window, he slipped his arms around her. A slow gasp emerged from her lips, and a primal, male satisfaction rose inside Beast Boy at her reaction to him. He wanted the move to be a little flirtatious, but his mind flashed into a new possibility. "Thank you for saving me Raven."

She stiffened, and a tiny hand landed on the wrist resting on her stomach. "How'd you know?"

He shrugged, and he felt her robe rise and fall at the movement. "I don't have a mark on me, and I know that she hit me with the fire, how else could I escape so well put-together?"

Raven gave an answering shrug, and in a move that surprised him a little, leaned back against him. "Well, she blasted you, I knocked her into the ice cream cart, healed you, the paramedics took you to the hospital anyway, I came with you, got you some replacement clothes, called the others to tell them what happened, then came back in here, saw your ass, and that's about it."

He laughed a little, and because she couldn't see his face, let the blush swamp his face. "Nice update."

"Thank you," she said. Not moving out of his arms, she turned around, and put her hands on his chest to steady herself. He tilted his head in waiting, knowing she had something to say. "You shoved me out of the way to save me remember?"

He nodded. "Of course. That thing was huge, it would have scorched both of us," he quipped, trying to be funny, but as usual, she didn't respond to it. So, he tried to be a little bit more serious. "And besides, you saved me, so we're even."

As Raven looked up at him, he was attacked with surprise, not only was she again shorter than him, but because he saw tears in her eyes. "Raven…"

"Are you really okay?" She asked, as if pleading him to be alright.

He gave her a large grin. "Fit as I've ever been, Rave."

Suddenly, the tears threatening her eyes fell to her cheeks. She threw her arms around him, and cried against his gown. Beast Boy was appalled. She was actually worried about him, and he was making jokes. But she was crying…Raven never cried, never showed signs of anything but sarcasm, except lately. Maybe the Feminine Side was making her more vulnerable to feelings. He looked around, and noticed that the bed was shaking. He had to calm her down.

Stroking her hair didn't appear to help. It only made her let out more violent shudders. The bed suddenly crashed to the floor on the other side of the room. Beast Boy had to stop this now!

He put a hand under her chin, and delicately lifted her face. Her eyes were shining in relief, her lips were plump from the trembling, and she was shaking. She was stunning.

Caught in a web of wanting Raven and comforting her, he kissed her again. And he was worried about _Raven's_ feelings getting out of control? He tightened his grip around her until she squealed against his mouth, and without regards to if he was going too far too fast, he pressed his tongue into her mouth. The animal within released.

Raven didn't know what was happening. Emotions were clouding over her, first gloom, then relief, now raw excitement. Something inside her was coming apart, and she was almost afraid to admit: her control. A fire of yearning lit inside her, first at a soft glow, then a blazing inferno. It scared her to think of what she craved. So she stopped thinking. Her hands dug into his hair, combing through the thick grass-green of his hair.

His mouth was plowing, almost bruising; fueling her own need to take every inch of his mouth. She moved closer, closer still, until every inch of their bodies were touching through their clothes. But even that wasn't much: a spandex leotard, and a three-dollar hospital gown. The wicked change in her musings charged an electric shock of desire to flow through her veins. '_Whoa! Now we're going too far_.'

Sucking up some air for her starved lungs, Raven backed away, staring at him. His eyes were dilated and bright, his breath heaving as much as hers. "Okay…um…I thought we agreed to a last one and that was it?"

"You're the one who started crying. I tried to calm you down."

It didn't work. If anything, her body was more rocking with life and energy than it was when she first saw him at the dresser. Swallowing, Raven took his laid-out clothes, and handed them to him. "You better put these on, Robin wants us back at the Tower to make sure everything's okay. You're healthy enough that you can change by yourself, so I'll go outside."

As she left, Raven heard his pitiful voice mewing out something. "I don't know…"

Raven turned to face him, but his back was to her, thankfully the gown was closed. "What? You don't know what?"

He turned to her, a devilish smile perked up the corners of his lips. "I'm feeling pretty weak. I might need help." He held up his clothes, an obvious indication of his innuendo.

Suddenly, his communicator whacked the side of his head. "Ow!" He looked at the communicator on the floor, then back at Rave, who was blushing while giving him the devil's-glare.

(Later.)

Beast Boy heaved out some air, and held his throat in relief. Someone would really have to teach Starfire that not all hugs had to be crushing embraces. "I'm glad to _be_ back Star."

"You are certain that you are alright Beast Boy?"

"I might have a crushed spine, but other than that…"

"Hey BB!"

"Ahhh!"

"Come on dawg! Gimme some love!"

"Enough love! En—ou—gh loVE!" Beast Boy choked out.

"Glad to see you're okay Beast Boy."

"Ow! Robin don't shake so hard, you're breaking my hand!"

"Ease up on him guys, he's still feelings a little weak."

Suddenly afraid they might hurt their friend the others backed off. Beast Boy cast a grateful glance Raven's way. "Dibs on the first game against our little grass-stain!" Cyborg said excitedly.

A large grin broke out on Beast Boy's face. "Oh yeah! And you're so going down!"

Raven looked at the two of them, and she smiled a little at the eager way they attacked the Gamestation. The previous incident between her and Beast Boy didn't really factor with her right now, mostly for the reason that she was trying to put it out of her mind. She slowly made her way back to her room.

Not that it was bad. '_Hell no_.' In fact, the knowledge that she enjoyed his kiss that had her avoiding the subject. Whenever something truly scared her, she always ran away from it. It was in her nature. She was afraid of her anger, she ran away from it. She was afraid of her father, she ran away from him. And now…she was afraid of Beast Boy. Before they started kissing their bond as friends had increased greatly. But now…the atmosphere between them was uncomfortable.

As Raven shut her door behind her, she slid down to hug her knees. She was so confused. Never before had she been uncertain about her own feelings. With Malchior, she knew exactly when she started and when stopped liking him. But with Beast Boy…what the hell was wrong with her? Perhaps she was looking too hard into how she felt. Maybe it was all just ridiculous leftover hormone trips.

She then remembered the moment they shared under the tree in the park. No. There were feelings there. And they some of the strongest feelings she ever had about anyone. Could it be…? "No!"

Furious, Raven stomped over to her stereo, flipped on the RANDOM setting, and put her head phones on, then got in a meditative stance, waiting for the first song to come on. The first two seconds she heard an unfamiliar beginning. She knew all her CD's by heart, and nothing sounded like this at the beginning. Someone must have used her stereo again. It wasn't Cyborg, he like his T-Car stereo too much. Robin liked using the one in the Main room, but that didn't eliminate the possibility. She heard the brush of a harp, then a voice. "_If there's a prize for rotten judgement_…"

"Starfire." Raven said, and quickly took off the headphones. Although, the rest of the song echoed in her head, each note, each sound. Since Starfire watched the movie so much, she usually ignored it. But now that she was taking her time to think about, Raven was actually beginning to consider it a very relatable song. At least in her current position. Sighing, she took Starfire's CD out of the stereo and left to give it back.

Could she be in love with Beast Boy?

(Main Room.)

Beast Boy twirled his thumb over the joystick, and tapped the three buttons he needed for the rocket-booster, and a triumph laugh emerged from his mouth as he shot in front of Cyborg. "Aw yeah! In your face Cyborg!"

"It ain't over yet green bean!"

"Looks pretty over to me!"

"Hey, move over ya little shrimp!"

"AHH! Back off, you're bumping my car!"

"Suck it up!"

"Oh yeah, every time you hit my car, I'll hit the T-Car!"

"YOU LAY ONE OF YOUR GREASY LITTLE PAWS ON MY---"

"**HA! OH, YEAH!**"

"Noooo!"

"Oh yeah! Whoop-whoop! Go Beast Boy, Go Beast Boy, you beat him! You kicked butt! Go Beast Boy!"

"Yeah, yeah! Two outta three."

"No way dude! I'm quitting while I'm ahead!"

"Msh-frm-pmh-neba-vnm-bmf," Cyborg muttered to his controller.

As Beast Boy proudly strutted out of the Main room, he kept his cool as he contemplated the horrors that awaited him in Raven's mind. He kissed her again, so the Feminine Side would probably get really pissed at him again. But maybe if he was there, then he could keep her in control.

He went into Raven's room, not even bothering to knock this time, and pulled out the book. He popped in, and as soon as he entered her mind, he was standing right in front of Rude. "WAHH! Jeez! Don't scare me like that!"

A private grin slithered over her mouth. "You know."

It took him a second to figure out what she was saying, then a smile of his own brightened his face. "Yeah."

Rude nodded. "Cool. Now can you get rid of that Feminine Side?"

He shrugged. "I don't know how to do that." She shoved him into the bedroom, a.k.a. Timid's territory. "What was that for?"

"Ssh!" She hissed, and put her finger to his lips. Instead of talking, she communicated telepathically. '_The Feminine Side is hot on your trail. All you've got to do is tell Raven that she exists, and I'm sure the two of you could find a way to get rid of her_.'

Beast Boy's brow rose, and he tried to relay his thoughts into telepathic words. '_But what if Raven doesn't know one_?'

She remained quiet, for both of them heard footsteps outside the door. Once they were gone, she removed her finger. "At least it would be better than getting stuck with that over-revealing psycho out there?"

He laughed a little. "I guess. But I can't afford to avoid her. I kissed Raven again."

"She knows. And so did I. That stupid I-was-wishing-it-was-you excuse isn't likely to work twice, so use something like you wanted to be able to go farther with this Raven, and in order to do that, you had to kiss the real one."

Beast Boy shuddered. "This is so gross. I don't like kissing the Feminine Side. She's too aggressive, she likes me too much, and she…well, I admit I kinda like the part where she shows a little more skin."

"You brought it all on yourself when you first invaded Raven's privacy."

He flapped his hand, ignoring the fact that Rude was completely right. "Yeah, yeah. Alright, I'll tell this Raven why I kissed the real one, and I'll tell the real one that what's been happening with this one…JEEZ! THIS IS ALL SO CONFUSING!" Poor Beast Boy's eyes started rolling like they did when Mad Mod hypnotized him.

They both froze as the bedroom door opened. As Rude stealthily backed into the wall, she said, "Handle this with care Beast Boy. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

As she disappeared into the woodwork, Beast Boy said, "Yeah. Woman scorned. Got it."

A big grin plastered on his face, Beast Boy awaited the fury.

(In reality.)

Raven returned to her room, humming that ridiculous song. What did she have to worry about? Perhaps if Beast Boy knew how she felt, then maybe they would stop kissing, since he would surely have enough sense to understand that she shouldn't really express her feelings. But shouldn't she herself know her own feelings before Beast Boy?

Raven glanced at a photo on the wall. Beast Boy had snuck up on her one day when all the Titans went to the fair on a holiday. She was standing still, enough of a pose for her. She was waiting for Cyborg to take a picture with the digital camera installed in his eye. Suddenly, Beast Boy threw his arms around her, and the momentum caused her to fall to her stomach. Cyborg's eye caught a picture of Beast Boy helping her back up and apologizing.

It was amazing…He was compassionate, selfless, and the forever gentleman. And as she examined the picture a little more, it began to show just how attractive he was. Maybe he wasn't funny, but he was everything else.

And she loved him.

That revelation bursting through her like lava in a volcano, Raven smiled brightly, and spun around, dying to tell him. Suddenly, the book that somehow found its way to the floor again opened up on its own, and Beast Boy popped out. He had just come from her book, and the first words out of her mouth: "Garfield! I have something to tell you!" Her voice was breathless in excitement.

He whipped around, and he was a little surprised to see Raven. To see Raven…happy. But that didn't matter! The sooner he told her, the sooner he could get away from that…THING that lived in her book! He had just barely managed to escape her with his lips still on his face. But not before experiencing the most vulgar, wet, smearing kiss of his life. He shuddered at the mere memory. He gripped her shoulders, and led her to the bed, where he sat down with her, and held her hand to support her. "I have something I really need to tell you first."

She looked reluctant, but she nodded…jeez, she was probably bursting with emotion.

He opened his mouth, took a deep breath, and began speaking. And at about a mile-a-minute. "Okay. I've been going in your mind every day for say…a week or two. But that's not my fault! There's a thing in there called the Feminine Side. I have no choice but to visit her every day, or else she gets reeeeaaaallllyy mad! Anyway, the problem is, she's got a HUGE crush on me…actually…Ithinkshelovesme, but the only way I could think of to get rid of her was to tell you. And I don't know if you can help, but I'll be honest with you, I can't keep kissing that…THING! I mean I will if I have to, but I really don't want to, so what do you say?"

She was stiff, her hand was cold, and her eyes were wide. "Huh?"

"Friends?"

"Guys, what's happening?"

"MY BIG SCREEN TV JUST SPLIT IN HALF."

Beast Boy hung his head. The rest of this day, was going to be looooong.


	15. Revealing Part Three

Chapter 14

Starfire put the kettle on the burner, and went to the couch to take a spot by Robin. Beast Boy had offered to set the kettle, but Starfire wanted to hear what he had to say. The Main room was quiet, and the tension was thick. It was silent enough to hear a pin drop as everyone waited for Beast Boy to explain. He inhaled deeply, and began with when he first came snooping in her room.

By the time he had concluded, the tea was made, and Starfire was sympathetically handing Beast Boy and Raven a cup. Silence ensued, making Beast Boy terribly uncomfortable. He HATED silences; especially awkward ones. So, he requested in a quiet, beseeching voice, "Would somebody please say SOMETHING?"

Starfire looked unwilling to speak, Robin and Cyborg looked to be in great pain with their tightening lips, and Raven looked a little…nothing. The last time they had seen that face on her, was when they all first met. The practiced face of bleak emotionless. She didn't say or do anything that might give away her feelings or expressions. Through her empty expression, she chose to remain silent.

Starfire was the first to oblige Beast Boy's request. "Something?"

That was it for Cyborg and Robin. They burst out laughing, the obnoxious peals echoing throughout the Tower. It appalled both Starfire and Beast Boy. Wiping a tear from his eye, Cyborg said between laughter, "Are you…haha…tryin' to tell ME…hahaha…that you KISSED that Raven?!"

Beast Boy blushed. He hadn't bothered to tell the others that he had already kissed the _real_ Raven; for multiple reasons. The most substantial of which being that it wasn't their business. However, he acknowledged the question. "Against my will, I assure you."

Robin and Cyborg laughed a little harder. From Cyborg, not entirely unexpected. But from Robin…now Beast Boy didn't expect that. Usually Robin was the professional of the team. Willing to have fun and a good time, but when it came time to focus on other things that was the focus. "Please, what is the joke that has caused you such joy in this trying time?"

Robin, the self-appointed informer to Starfire said, "It's not even really that funny. It's just the thought that someone pertaining to Raven would let Beast Boy near her, let alone kiss her. No offense Beast Boy."

Beast Boy didn't deny that offended him a little. It would give him the greatest stroke of satisfaction to tell Robin that he was getting _very_ near Raven lately, AND kissing her. But, because he wasn't the only involved party, and he wasn't sure of Raven's feelings on the subject, he didn't tell him. "Well, it's true."

Raven quietly set her tea cup on the coffee table in front of her, and thought still showing total indifference, she stood, and started walking away. "If we want to get rid of this problem, then it would be better to address it now than later."

Beast Boy looked on, confused. "Where are you going?"

Her voice was low and husky, but easily heard. "To my room. And maybe all of you should come. We don't really know what we're dealing with."

BB though his heart skipped a beat. Not only was Raven letting people in her ROOM but she was letting them in her MIND. Something must be wrong. He was concerned but he didn't want to ask her about it in front of the others.

As they followed her on the path to her room, Beast Boy considered what had happened. After he told Raven what had happened the first time, she was obviously shocked. But then the others came in, and her hood went up, along with her defenses. He felt terrible about the whole thing. There was probably a better way to break the situation to her, and he really didn't want to have to involve the other members of the team, but Raven was right: they didn't know what they were dealing with.

He watched Raven walk towards her room, the others falling behind him. She walked with grace, and even though her hood was up, her head was held high, and her pride was strong. If only there was an easier way to see her so dignified. After all the dips and curves in their relationship lately, this was the last thing either of them needed, and he really didn't want to, but it was no longer an option to deal with the situation. They HAD to get rid of that Feminine Side.

They all entered Raven's room in a single file. She opened up the book on the floor, and held out her hand. "We don't want to get lost on the way."

He figured it would be a bad idea to maintain any kind of physical contact he ignored her, and watched Starfire take Raven's hand. He took Starfire's hand, then Cyborg's…the cold, metal clunk that it was. Raven looked over the Titan's, and said to him, "Lead the way."

A deep sigh emerged from Beast Boy's lips. He looked down, and jumped into the book. The others yelled as they were sucked in. The only two that stayed silent were Beast Boy and Raven. Beast Boy because he was used to the process, Raven because she wasn't showing her feelings.

Once they all landed within Timid's territory, they found the entrance to the bedroom. Beast Boy, through repetition becoming mechanically operated, casually let go of Cyborg's hand, and opened the door. As the others followed him in, he noted that the closet door was opened. Usually, the Feminine Side only left the door opened when she was inside. He announced himself. "Uh…Raven? I'm here again. I wanted to introduce you to the other Titans and the uh…other Raven."

His quick cover was a relief to the other Titans. As they observed their surroundings Beast Boy heard a rustling in the closet. "Okay sweetheart, hold on and I'll be right out. I'm just changing."

Beast Boy visibly winced. He knew what kind of clothes she dressed in, but the others didn't. Sometimes she would even come to him in just her low-high cut leotard: the neckline low, the bikini line high.

He turned to his friends. "Um…she kind of has…a little bit of a different dressing style."

Raven put her hood down, and her brow visibly rose at this. "I'm here BB."

All eyes turned to the Feminine Raven. She was leaning against the door for a second before standing out proud and tall. Her clothes were verbatim to the outfit Beast Boy had just described in his mind. With a meek turn of his head, he glanced at his friends. All eyes were wide. Even the real Raven's, someone who had been very nonchalant until now. "Well, don't be shy everyone! Come on in! Make yourselves comfortable."

Suddenly, she made steps towards Beast Boy. Her voice was low and syrupy as she said with a bewitching smile, "Especially you, Beast Boy."

He knew what was coming, and he braced himself as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and kissed the daylights out of him. A little analogy ran through his head that he had to fight the urge to laugh at. '_Kissing her is like making out with a mop_.'

Once she released him, and went to the bed to grab her cloak, Beast Boy shook his head and turned away. He had forgotten that his friends had watched the whole thing.

Cyborg's mechanical eye was twitching, Robin's eyes in his mask were completely round, Starfire had little pink hearts in her eyes with her chin on her hands, and all of their jaws were on the floor.

Raven, on the other hand, looked hurt. Hurt, saddened, and…was that…_jealousy_?

He quickly whipped around, and smiled fake-like at the Feminine Side, and said, "Well, I think you know Raven. This is Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin."

She waggled her fingers sweetly at them all, and extended her hand. But she held it palm down, expecting the boys to be gentlemanly and kiss it.

Good thing for her, Robin might have been taught by the best, but he was also raised by the most chivalrous. He reluctantly kissed her hand. Raven stepped to Cyborg, and he very gently tried to kiss her hand. She shook hands with Starfire and a lifeless Raven, then turned back to Beast Boy. "Was there something we all needed to talk about darling?"

A hand scratching the back of his head, Beast Boy said, "Not really. I just…finally told them about you, and they thought we all should meet."

Feminine Side smiled eagerly. "Well, isn't this wonderful! All of us here together! A pity little miss…_Rude_ couldn't be here." Her voice sounded disgusted as she said the name, even though she tried to mean it in the polite context.

Raven's eyes widened at this. "Rude? As in one of my emotions?"

Feminine Side acknowledged Raven politely. "Why, yes, of course. You see, Rude is a VERY unfeminine quality."

Beast Boy's eyes suspiciously glanced Raven's way. She was a smart girl. And whenever Raven got to thinking the churning gears in her mind were practically visible through the hair on her scalp. And right now, her head was practically an X-ray. He hoped that she was reaching a breakthrough on how to get them out of this situation.

Before he could make an excuse as to why they had to leave, Cyborg announced, "Hold up! Raven is talking to a Raven inside her own head, but wouldn't that mean that she's not even in her mind, but the ones in her mind---"

"DUDE, KNOCK IT OFF! This is Mumbo Jumbo all over again you're giving me a headache!"

"YOU'RE GETTIN' A HEADACHE??????? I'm beyond confused, and I've GOT A COMPUTER CHIP IN MY HEAD! And I've been here before."

"Stop it!"

Raven's menacing voice ceased their argument. Her dark purple eyes shifted over to the Feminine Side. A phony have-a-good-day smile split her mouth, and she said, "It was so nice meeting you, but unfortunately I know that you have to do your nails."

Gasping, the Feminine Raven covered her mouth, then rushed back to the closet. From inside, she said, "Of course, I don't know what I was thinking! I truly apologize for meeting and running, but would you mind finding your ways to the Forbidden Doors?"

"Not at all, we'll show ourselves out!" Raven jerked her gaze outwards, and everyone followed her. But once they were out of the door, she was grabbing Starfire's hand, and leading the way. The Titan's quickly linked hands, trying to keep pace with Raven's rapid steps.

Once out of the book, Raven instantly let go of Starfire's hand, and began to scurry throughout her room; ravaging her bookshelves. She pulled a lot from her shelf, and once she had an armful, she would toss it on her bed. They all watched her with frightened eyes. "Uh…Raven?" robin ventured cautiously.

"**What,**" Raven barked. Once she had all the books she wanted, she licked her thumb, and began to flip through the pages. The scripts she had on her bed were of varying sizes, but there was one common factor: They were all brown, and leather bound.

"Please Raven, we are all eager to absolve this problem. Perhaps we could assist you in your search for…for…what ARE you searching for please?"

Raven's eyes briefly scanned pages before she tossed the book aside.

Oh…this was serious.

Raven was tossing aside BOOKS.

"I don't know exactly Starfire, so you probably couldn't help me. In fact, I'd prefer to be left alone right now."

Some people didn't question Raven's request to be alone; the smart ones anyway. Cyborg and Robin zapped out of Raven's room quicker than the Flash.

Starfire stepped carefully to the bed. "But Raven, perhaps we could aid in your search."

Beast Boy, who had really wanted to leave Raven, but also wanted to be with her alone for a few moments, said, "Totally Raven. I mean, come on, we can help you look for whatever you need if you'll just tell us."

With a fiery look that no one had seen on her since she nuked breakfast that fateful morning, Raven shouted, "**No!**"

Armed with enough warning now, Beast Boy grabbed Starfire's elbow and led her out. Once they were reunited in the Main room, Beast Boy was automatically the first target. "Beast Boy what the hell?"

His brow rose to his robotic friend. "Huh?"

"What were you thinkin'? You were in her mind before! Once you accidentally got in, you shoulda gotten back out! And FAST DAWG!"

Beast Boy crossed his arms. "Oh come on! There were freaky doors all around the place and it's not real easy finding your way around in there!"

Cyborg held up his robotic hand, and put it to Beast Boy's face. "Don't EVEN exaggerate on that one man!"

Beast Boy confronted Cyborg, to the point where he was directly in his face. "I'm not exaggerating Cyborg! You saw it in there! It's hard to find your way anyplace!"

"Friends! Please stop! We should not fight when we are having such troubles otherwise."

Beast Boy leaned away as Starfire separated them with her soft hands. Forever the peacemaker, she said, "This is no longer about the mistakes once made. This is what we must do now to rectify the once-made mistakes."

Solemnly glancing down at his feet, Beast Boy realized that Star was right. It was time to focus on the issues at hand. And what better way than to confront them directly?

Without a word, he did an about-face and marched towards Raven's room.

(Raven's Room.)

Her breaths were deep and shuddering. Flipping through the appendixes in each of the books on her bed, one after the other, Raven was trying desperately to keep her mind on what she may, or may not be looking for. After hearing Beast Boy explain what he had been doing lately, added with the bizarre meeting with the Feminine Side, she could feel the threatening rise of powerful emotions. So she had no choice but to do an emotional shut-down. It had worked when she was in front of the others, but now that she was by herself, and had actual time to consider how she felt, it was much harder to contain everything.

The strings that held her control were pretty close to snapping. So she tried to keep everything out of her mind. A lot of good that did. It hurt her in more ways than one when Beast Boy told her about the events of the past week. It occurred to her that maybe during the past week that maybe the only reason she was falling in love with Beast Boy was because the Feminine Side was in love with him. It also occurred to her that since he hated kissing the Feminine Side, then he probably hated kissing _her_. But when she thought of that, she would ask herself why he had kissed her so often lately. And that opened a door to another range of confusing questions. Everything was so jumbled and peculiar she didn't know what to do.

There was a knock at her door, and every bone in her body knew who it was. "Go away Beast Boy."

His voice was muffled on the other side. "Raven, come on! Please let me help. I don't know what you're looking for, but maybe we can---"

"No!" She interrupted. "I don't know what I'm looking for either Beast Boy, just go away."

The little bastard was persistent. "Well, then maybe we should just talk. You're upset Raven. I don't know why, and maybe I should, but I don't. Just talk to me, please!"

She stopped flipping through the pages for the first time since she started. Her thumb was sore, her eyes were a little tired, and she was in desperate need of a back massage the way she had been hunched over. She slammed one of her books shut, faced forward, and after dropping her hood and arching her back to a straight posture, Raven said, "Come in," her voice ringing with pride.

Beast Boy cautiously entered, his face meek and questioning. Her first form: attack. "So kind of you to wait for an answer this time."

He flinched. "I deserved that."

A bogus, wide smile spread over her lips. "No you don't. I'm being kind."

Walking over to her bed, Beast Boy kept firm eye contact. "Okay, I understand that you're mad at me, but you don't have to worry! Just tell me what some of your questions are, and maybe I can answer."

Raven's false smile disappeared, and she looked down. "Hey." He put his thumb under her chin to raise her face. "I'd rather have a renewed friendship than an awkward fighting silence. I'd also rather have rejection than ignored chemistry."

A blush spread over Raven's cheeks that she couldn't stop. It was obvious what he meant. And perhaps he was right. Maybe if they spoke to each other about their problems for once, then the whole situation could be handled, and maybe they could put it behind them. She took his hand under her chin, and threaded their fingers together. Beast Boy was her dearest friend, and the last thing she wanted was to create something between them that would do damage to the team.

He waited patiently as she summoned her questions. She took a deep breath, and began. "First of all, why didn't you stop seeing her those first few times that you didn't know she was made of Anger?"

Beast Boy stroked the back of her hand with his thumb as he spoke. "Well, if you want the truth, I was kind of happy to have all the attention she was offering. I mean, she was nice, she laughed at my jokes. It was a refreshing turn, since you never laugh at them. Only at me."

That made Raven blush. She did make fun of him a lot. And most of those times simply because he was easy to pick on. Maybe it was mean and maybe it wasn't necessary but…it was something she had gotten used to.

"Okay…I guess that's fair. Now, um…" she tried to formulate the words, and with extreme difficulty, she said, "Why have you been kissing her?"

He gave an exaggerated shudder. "Because I'm trying to keep her from getting mad. Believe me, it's not something I enjoy."

Her brow rose. At his answer, it was easy to handle the next question. "Then why have you been kissing me?"

Beast Boy's brows furrowed. "Huh?"

She turned to she was facing him directly. "You've been kissing both of us haven't you? Well, if she kisses so terribly, then why have you been kissing me? And been telling me all this personal information lately?"

He looked a little hesitant, then his eyes shifted back and forth before he looked at her with a bright, confident smile. "Actually Raven, it might seem crazy, but even though she's a part of you, she kisses really different from you. Hers are wet and sloppy and forceful or pinching. You might as well call me Goldilocks, cuz I gotta tell ya, yours are just right!"

Raven's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Wait…what?"

His lids dropped a little as he stared at her lips. She found it a little awkward as he continued to gaze at her mouth. "It's weird. While her kisses suck---literally---yours feel really good. Maybe that's why I've been kissing you so much lately."

Raven snorted. "Please. I was never even kissed before you."

He grinned. "That doesn't mean you can't be good at it." He waggled his eyebrows mischievously.

It was incredible. She, Raven, the girl who never ever thought much of herself in the female sense, was feeling _proud_. Yet, a little bashful. "You…really think I kiss well?"

A seductive smile changing from that naughty grin, he leaned closer, his intention obvious and welcome. "Oh yeah." As his warm lips caressed over hers, a sudden burst of comprehension smacked Raven in the head. Feminine Raven couldn't possibly be the reason why she loved Beast Boy.

It was because he was…Beast Boy.

She gently stroked his shoulders as she opened her mouth for him. '_Now all I've got to do is tell him_.'

As she pulled away, her eyes smiled in a way that her lips couldn't, into his. He gently stroked her leg, an awkward feeling because she wasn't used to it, but also because it was tingling her insides. "So…what were you looking for?"

It just occurred to her that he was dropping the subject that they were both trying to face. But that was alright with her; she wanted to treasure this pleasant time. She twisted around so she could find a book. "What you said before, about the ceremony with the Monks? I think I have a book somewhere that has something about that. I came across it when Malchior was teaching me that black magic." A trace of black hate was thrown into her voice as she recalled the deceitful memory.

Beast Boy looked a little pleased that she hated thinking about Malchior so much. "You read the whole book?"

She shook her head. "No. There was nothing in it pertaining to the kind of magic he wanted me to learn, so I ignored it."

He nodded, and with a helpful smile, took the thick book from her hands. "So let's get to work."


	16. Battle Plan

Chapter 15

Raven grumbled as she slapped the useless book shut. She glanced tiredly at the green lion. "Anything?"

The lion shook his head and morphed back to normal. His legs swung softly in the air as he lay on his stomach. "Nothin'," he said with finality.

He hopped up, then grabbed himself another book before resuming his perch on the floor. They had been reading for about four hours, and the pile of unchecked books was slowly twiddling down. Cyborg had come in to check on them once, and even volunteered to help before he realized that it was time to daily waxing of his beloved car. So they were on their own pretty much the entire time. The atmosphere had grown comfortable, yet tired.

Beast Boy flinched suddenly, and reached around to rub his sore back. "I wish I had found something though."

Raven understood the sentiment all too well. Her back was aching too, but not too far into their 'research' she had taken her usual straight posture, while Beast Boy slumped; and more than usual. Sympathy welling up inside,---why she didn't really know---Raven walked over to him, and began to pull and stretch at his stiff muscles with her palms and thumbs. He stiffened at first before becoming mush against her hands. Letting out a pleasured groan, he said, "Do you mind?"

The plentiful amount of bliss that he seemed to feel from the caress made her crave for a similar feeling. Her thumbs pushed into the hardened tendons. "So long as you do me next."

His Elvin ears perked up, saying that he liked what he was hearing. "Okaaay." His voice reeked of sexual innuendo.

Raven put her hands on her hips and smacked the back of his head. "OW!"

Beast Boy painfully rubbed the back of his head. "Do you want the back rub or not?"

He started through the book again. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry."

With that lilt of chuckle in his voice, he didn't sound sorry. But still, she continued to massage him. It surprised her that she was massaging him in the first place. As she continued to knead the hardened muscles, she heard his low growl of happiness, and a smile of feminine pride broadened over her features. A week ago, she would have shrunk from this position. She wouldn't have let herself _get_ in this position a week ago. She wouldn't have let Beast Boy in her _room_ a week ago. Either the Feminine Side was really affecting her, or she was really coming to terms with her feelings. Since the latter wasn't really likely, she let her thoughts go, and continued to massage Beast Boy.

He let out a thoughtful hum, and produced an apple out of thin air. Shocked, she stopped suddenly. "Where the hell did that come from?"

He took a small bite, and winked. "A magician never tells."

Raven almost smiled. She had never known how flirtatious Beast Boy could be. Then again…

Generously, he offered her the fruit, and she accepted with a nod. This wasn't like the bruising, rotting apples in the Main room of the Tower; this was fresh fruit. The shiny red skin was complimenting by the tart yellow crunch on the inside. She handed it back to him, and he took a healthy chomp from it, and continued to eat and flip through the appendix as he asked, "Do you remember anything else besides the fact that it was brown? And leather bound?"

The snide comment escaped her lips before she could stop them: "You're a poet and didn't know it."

He laughed a little, thankfully having swallowed beforehand. Glad she had amused him, she leaned a little bit over his shoulder, and looked at the book in front of him. "Seriously, that is all I remember."

He let out a grunt, then after closing the book, took both her hands off his shoulder, and kissed her fingers, then let them go, and stood up with the book in hand. After tossing it away into their 'checked' pile, he snatched one of the thinner novels off the bed. He gave her the book, and remained standing; waiting for what, she didn't know. So she scooted over to where Beast Boy had been sitting, and stretched, the floor still warm from Beast Boys body heat. Just as she had reached the appendix, astonishment hit her as Beast Boy took off her robe. More astonishment came when he straddled her, and began to gently massage. "I did promise."

That he did. She noticed that he had taken off his gloves before he started on her aching back. Sighing, she froze all movements, the only thought in her mind of how glorious his hands felt on her. He leaned over, and in a low whisper that didn't sound like him at all, "Keep looking."

How did he expect her to 'keep looking' when he stroked her like that?!

His warm hands rolled over her back, and everywhere they touched brought sparks into her body. It was all so new, but so deliciously real. Concentrating har,d she began to study the pages, her gaze thorough. He worked his way down to her lower back, for which she was grateful. Her back was very petite, hence highly susceptible to tenderness. She let out a whimper at his relentless onslaught on her body, the touch so soothing and careful; it was almost as if he thought her fragile glass. At her whimper, he stopped instantly, much to her dismay. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, wanting to bury her head into her arms to embrace the feeling of his hands, but she still had other manuscripts to go through. "Very."

He sighed, and went back to rubbing her back. Raven wished she knew more about the book she was looking for, but all she could remember was that it was brown. Her eyes were tired, and the lids were dropping, her eyes lowering on the page. Suddenly, she saw the word 'Side'. She gasped, and got up on her knees, surprising Beast Boy. He tried to bring his eyes over her shoulders. Raven noted the page, and flipped to it, finding a heading in large bold print stating: The Side Ceremony.

She smiled in triumph. "This is it!"

He got off her back, and moved by her side. "Are you sure?" Raven gripped his hand as she read the script aloud.

"In order to make the Side visible to the naked eye, one other than the host must find the spell-book, and pronounce the spell."

"Say what?" Beast Boy asked, his usual out-of-it personality rising.

Raven ignored him for a minute, and continued to read, her heart sinking as she discovered the process necessary to get rid of the Feminine Side.

(The Main room.)

Cyborg and Robin elbowed each other for a place closer to the TV. "Come on Cyborg! You've gotta do better than that!"

"If I did mah best then you wouldn't stand a chance!"

"Oh please! I'm already---"

"Please what? You know I have---"

The two of them continued to bicker over their game as Starfire paced impatiently behind the couch. Beast Boy and Raven had been gone for a while: at least four hours. Naturally, Starfire being the most compassionate of the team was the most concerned about them. Those two did not get along. And even though they were friends, that did not stop Raven from hurting Beast Boy, on a multitude of occasions. As the echoes of the fighting in the Main room started bouncing off the walls, Starfire tried to stop the overwhelming fight.

"Stop!"

That immediately drew the attention of the game-players. "Two of our friends are possibly already fighting! We do not need more!"

Robin pressed pause on his game, and walked over to Starfire. "Star, we're just teasing. And as for Beast Boy and Raven, I think they'll be fine." His voice had a strange tone that Starfire didn't recognize.

"You are positive?"

Cyborg, who had slung his arm over the back of the couch said, "Trust me Star, those two are _fine_."

That exact same tone was in Cyborg's voice. Was something happening that she didn't have knowledge of?

(Raven's Room.)

"Okay, I'll try to make this as simple as possible." Raven stated, pacing back and forth in her room. Beast Boy found himself in a little state of déjà vu, remembering the way the Feminine Side taught him about herself.

"I was the only one that couldn't see the book for what it really was, so I couldn't activate the spell that allowed others to see the Feminine Side. But since you _could_ see it, you were able to perform the spell that allowed others to see her. If it weren't for you, the Feminine Side probably could have gone undetected for years. Now, since you've managed to find her, you have to be the one to get rid of her. And the way we do that, is go back into my mind, and somehow find a way to merge her with Rude. If we do that, then my emotions should…be under control. I mean, now that my father is getting farther and farther away from us, then that means the more and more control I'll have."

Beast Boy's eyebrow rose. "Uh…I get that part, but how do we get the two of them to merge?"

Raven shrugged. "Get them to make eye contact, and while they maintain that contact, say the spell, and it should get them to fuse together the way the other emotions did."

Beast Boy smiled, and hugged his knees. "Well, it doesn't sound that hard."

Raven whipped around to him like he had just called her something foul. "What the hell do you mean 'doesn't sound that hard'? Do you have any idea how to get those two to look at each other?"

Beast Boy simply shrugged, and leaned back casually. "The Feminine Raven seems to have the hots for me. So, I figure if I point out Rude, she'll be in a two or three second shock period. And we both know I can talk fast. So, hey. No worries."

Well he just had it all figured out didn't he? As Raven plunked down onto the bed, she buried her eyes into her hands. "You're way more optimistic about this than I am."

A comforting hand landed on her back. "You don't need optimism Rave. You always manage to pull through."

She looked up at him, still hunched over. His eyes were warm and glittering with what she thought was admiration? "You're the bravest, toughest, most selfless person I've ever met. You can do anything because you never give up until you do it."

Raven's eyes started watering, but she didn't let them out. Beast Boy was so confident, it was almost infectious. Wiping her tears away, Raven said, "So I'm thinking we should handle this tomorrow. We'll be recharged, and there will be a longer opportunity to handle the situation."

He smiled, and accepted her choice. "Okay." He leaned over, and before she could stop him even if she wanted to---in fact, she leaned forward a bit---he kissed her. His lips were soft, seeking. He opened his mouth, to envelope her lips, then closed them, daring her to do the same. They continued to open and close their mouths, a teasing game of wanting and giving. Beast Boy pulled away from her, and with his eyelids low over his smoky-green eyes, said, "G'night Rave."

It was hard to concentrate on what he was saying. Had they really stopped kissing? She could still feel those full lips on hers. "Good night Garfield."

With a disarming grin, he walked out of the room. Raven flopped onto her back on the bed, and almost laughed at herself. She had it bad.

(The next morning.)

Beast Boy whistled as he put the hot kettle in the dish water. Immensely proud of himself, he strutted over to the table, and handed Raven a cup of herbal tea, and sat down next to her as he sipped his own and started on a word-search puzzle. He snuck a peek at Raven as she smiled at the cup and started sipping. She then tossed him an almost invisible smirk, and he grinned back. '_Ten points! Go Beast Boy!_'

Cyborg and Robin looked at each other, then back at their friends. Over the past week, the relationship between the two of them had obviously changed. How, they didn't know, but it was clearly there.

Raven looked over to get clearance from Beast Boy, then cleared her throat, and pulled her hood from her face. "Beast Boy and I figured out a way to stop the Feminine Side last night. There's nothing to worry about, we can handle this on our own. In fact, it would be best if the number of people handling this was minimal. Which is why Beast Boy and I are going in alone."

Beast Boy felt a mass amount of pride for Raven. She managed to explain the reasons they had practiced this morning with great finesse, and without missing a beat. He watched for the other Titan's reactions. Robin and Cyborg looked a little worried, and Starfire looked…majorly worried. "Please, are you sure there is nothing we can do to help?"

Raven nodded. "Very sure Starfire."

Cyborg put down his bacon-and-toast sandwich. (A/N: Say what you will, YUM!) "Are you guys sure you can handle this thing on your own?"

Beast Boy nodded, and picked up Raven's already empty tea cup, taking his with it, and walking towards the sink. "Very sure Cy."

Cyborg shrugged, and went back to his sandwich. "Okay, fine with me."

Robin nodded. "Same here."

"But…you are _certain_ that we cannot help."

"Very certain Starfire," Beast Boy and Raven said at once.

(Raven's room.)

The duo stood over the book, bracing themselves for the challenge ahead. Raven looked over at him. Never before had Beast Boy seemed so brave or determined to do something before. He was a better man than she. The night had given Raven a lot to think about. She knew that she loved Beast Boy for the simple fact that…she loved him. It came to her when she was trying to get to sleep last night that Beast Boy and her had some serious relationship issues to discuss after this entire mess.

But for now…

She accept the hand that he was offering, and looked up at him, going over their plan once again. "I'll find Rude, you get the Feminine Side, we'll meet in Timid's territory, then you say the spell. Do you remember it?"

He grinned. "Yup. _Akra nomb foomba Metra Ka_."

Raven bit her lip. "That's _fahba_."

He blushed, and scratched the back of his head with a laugh. "Oh yeah. _Akra Nomb Fahba Metra Ka_."

With a confirming nod, Raven glanced down at the book, then back towards Beast Boy. "Ready?"

Beast Boy smiled gamely. "Ready!"

She took a deep breath, then kicked the book open. As they were being sucked in, Raven shouted over the whirlwind, "WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T LET GO UNTIL WE GET THERE!"

"RIGHT!" He shouted.

Soon, they were twirling down a massive vortex. But there was something unusual about this. Right in front of them, were four…glowing…red eyes. There was a loud booming voice expelling itself from the surroundings of the funnel. Raven looked over at Beast Boy as the echoing, menacing voice shouted, "**Hate to use an old cliché…but if I can't have him, **_**NOBODY CAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_"

A force started gripping at them both, but each was going in the opposite direction. Raven held on tight, Beast Boy's hand slipping through his glove. Her eyes widened, and she suddenly watched him get torn away.

"BEAST BOOOOY!"


	17. Chaos

Chapter 16

Raven eyes blinked open. She was still in her mind, but her surroundings were different. Things were like normal. The bleak, gray ground and the black sky with red streaks. But…what had changed?

"Not much." Raven glanced up, and watched as the Feminine Side slowly levitated down from her high position. "I just decided that since this will be your residence soon, then the least I could do is make it suitable to your liking."

Raven's eyes widened, and she looked around in a blind panic. "Where's Beast Boy?"

A smug smile slid over the over-sized mouth. "He's sleeping comfortably. _For now_ at least."

Raven tried to lunge at her, but something was holding her back. Gasping, she looked down, seeing that she was bound to the rock mountain with metal cuffs stabbed into the wall, restraining her hands and feet. She tried to phase her hand through the metal, but it wouldn't work. "Silly Raven. Do you not remember? I'm a part of you. I'm aware of what it takes to keep you in check."

Raven took a deep breath, trying to control herself, and set her face, making sure that she showed the Feminine Raven: she would NOT be intimidated. "What do you want with us?"

The Feminine Side twirled in the sky, obviously delighted that she was in control. "Oh, dear sweet Raven. What makes you think I want anything to do with Beast Boy?"

Raven's brows rose. "The fact that you've been hanging on him ever since you met?

She chuckled, an eerie sound that Raven _knew_ she could never make. "Oh, and I suppose you think I'm interested in that little green freak?"

"He's not a freak. Maybe he has a corny sense of humor and can be a little nosey. But that makes him mildly obnoxious, not a freak."

There was that annoying laugh again. Only now it was higher, more maniacal, just like in the movies. It worried Raven to think that something within HER could make such a noise. "Come _on_ Raven! The boy is GREEN! He has elf ears, a fang, and changes into other creatures. Of course he's a freak!"

Raven's confusion must have been evident. "I was only coming on to him so he would bring you down here. I had hoped that you would come in again so I could convince you to do me a favor."

Raven waited, knowing whatever it was, she wouldn't do it. "I want to trade places with you. I will live on the outside, and you will be inside _my_ mind."

Her eyes widened, and she thrashed about against her restraints. "Give me a break! Like hell I'd ever do something like that!"

A brow rose. "Is that a fact?" She snapped her fingers, and a large gray mirror materialized out of thin air. Raven stared at it for a few seconds in confusion. At first, she only saw her reflection, and what she saw she didn't like: A vulnerable, restrained girl, with a pitiful look in her eyes. The glass suddenly turned black, then she saw Beast Boy; unconscious and helpless, reflecting her exact position being cuffed to a stone wall. She couldn't tell where he was, for at this point, all places in her mind looked the same again.

Her eyes widened. "Beast Boy! Beast Boy wake up!"

That irritating chortle rose back to life. "He can't hear you Raven! This glass only allows one to see and not to touch or speak to those inside."

'_But what about reading their minds?_' Raven thought victoriously. She closed her eyes, and tried to find Beast Boy's essence. But there must have been some sort of psychic block; she couldn't reach out any further than where she was. Clenching her teeth, and closing her eyes, Raven concentrated as hard as she could to get through, but it just wasn't working. "Oh, poor, poor Raven. You don't understand do you? You're in _my_ realm now. So long as you stay here, your powers are at my command."

Raven felt a sharp stabbing in her head. "Ack!" She shook her head, as if to shake the feeling out.

"Look Raven."

Delirious through the pain, Raven rose her eyes. She gasped; through the mirror Beast Boy was being encircled by a black aura, the waves of energy arching and twirling sinuously around him. "Aah!" The violent stab in her head suddenly grew sharper, and through fogged eyes, Raven watched as the black aura attacked Beast Boy. Raven heard him yelp in pain as the energy around him assaulted him on the inside. His eyes shot open, and Raven gasped.

"What's happening to me? ARGH," he shouted from his side of the mirror. The blackness that now encompassed Beast Boy entirely was slowly getting smaller. To the inexperienced eye, one might think that it meant the energy was going away and Beast Boy was getting better. But to Raven…

She could sense the strength growing in her powers, the mounting force on Beast Boy's body. The energy was slowly constricting his insides, and if she kept going, he would literally implode internally. "Dah! Ahha!"

Raven yanked against the metal cuffs, ignoring the pierce in her head as she tried harder and harder to interfere in the Feminine Side's control. "No! Leave him alone!"

A malicious smirk and an eyebrow rose on her face. "Now why would I do that?" Even though she let up her hold on Raven's mind. But she was still there. Raven could sense the presence of someone else in her mind.

The sharp piercing temporarily went away, and Raven blinked a couple times to get her vision back completely. "How is this possible? You're in my mind! I should be able to control you! It shouldn't be that you control others through me! How are you doing this?!"

"Whoa! Calm down dearie! Conserve your strength."

Raven looked back to Beast Boy, who looked a little groggy, but soon closed his eyes again. Suspiciously, she glanced back at the Feminine Side. "What are you talking about?"

She sidled up to the mirror, and ran her hand down the side of it. "You'll need all the strength you can get when it comes time for us to trade places."

Raven gave her the most menacing glare she could manage, and growled, "I already told you, that's _not_ gonna happen!"

"Oh really?" She questioned smugly.

"_AH_!" The power of the psychic force the Feminine Side had on her was overwhelming. She demonstrated that power:

"Ahhhhhh!" The mirror showed Beast Boy thrashing against the wall, the black energy encircling him once again.

"Well, Raven," the Feminine Side said over the double screaming. "You could ease both your pains, and surrender your position in the outside world. Or I could kill both you AND Beast Boy. I'm sure you know that I'd hate to do that sweetie. Such a mess and all."

Raven didn't want to give in to her. But Beast Boy was…WAIT A MINUTE! "Wait!"

Thinking that Raven was ready to surrender, she snapped her fingers again, and stopped. "Yeees," she queried in a syrupy way.

Raven panted, in a slight state of shock from the quick switch from pain to nothing. "If you---don't---don't love him, then why did you say that when Beast Boy and I first came back in here?"

Her eyes widened, not expecting Raven to remember the entrance. "Wh-what _did_ I say?" She asked, recovering quickly.

But Raven was smarter than that. "Don't be stupid! When he and I first got here, you said that if you couldn't have him, nobody could."

A grin spread over her mouth. "Oh, that. Well, as far as Beast boy knows, I still love him. It'll be less of a shock when you and I trade you know."

Raven turned her head. "If you don't love him, then why do you want to trade places with me?"

She covered her mouth, and let loose that maniacal laughter, this time letting it echo throughout anywhere within that field of sound. "Oh Raven, don't you understand? It's all about power! The closer I am to your reality, the more power I have."

Raven let loose a smirk of her own. "You don't understand. My friends will know that it's you and not me that's in our world. And besides, how the hell did you turn out to be so power hungry anyway? I've never looked for power, or a position of authority."

"Well Raven it's all very simple. I've studied you dearie. I know just how to act around the others. And let's just say that even though _you've_ never looked for authority, doesn't mean that I can't. We're a bit more different than you'd like to think my dear. Why, I'm practically my own person."

The quiet way she said it almost actually scared Raven. Almost. "Either way, I'm _still_ not going to trade places with you!"

That brow rose again. "Oh really?"

This time, the throb came back instead of the stabbing, and Raven ignored it. But what she couldn't ignore, was Beast Boy. He looked to be in greater pain than ever before. He thrashed and flayed against the metal, and Raven watched as Beast Boy tried to change. He was about half-way into a mouse, when Raven felt a mental _thwack_ against her brain, and Beast Boy virtually whip-lashed back into human form. "Agh! No! Stop! Please!"

Raven noticed a sparkle on Beast Boy's face. She leaned closer, then saw it. Beast Boy's eyes were watering. He was actually crying in pain. She watched as he physically began to grow smaller. His organs and muscles were getting so much closer and tighter that he was actually beginning to get slighter.

If he kept going, then he was going to die.

"Stop it! Fine! I'll do it! Just leave him alone! Stop hurting him!"

She grinned, the ultimate evil triumph. "That's more like it." She snapped her fingers once more, and this time, the mirror disappeared. "Once you complete the spell, then I'll give you Beast Boy back. Until then, he stays here."

A small tear came from Raven's eye. She hated it when she was vulnerable. But what she hated more was the idea that someone might hurt her friends. "What am I supposed to do?"

(In Raven's Room.)

'_There is a spell in this very book; Nevermore as you know._'

The stone-faced teenager stirred the powder into the wooden bowl, and poured about a tablespoon of holy water into it. She carefully added red crystals, and took one strand of her hair, and placed it in the cup, where it melted away.

'_It is the ingredients for a potion that we both must drink._'

She took a flask and a beaker from an upper shelf.

'_It is simple to conduct, and the ingredients are easy to find._'

Dusting the pedestal in the corner of her room and carrying it to the center, she remained completely emotionless. The less grief the better.

'_Once you have memorized the spell, and have the potion prepared, then come back to me, and we can perform the ceremony._'

She poured the potion into the beaker, swirled it, then dumped it into the flask that she corked and placed at her belt. Quietly, she looked for the last time around her room. This place was her home. This room was where she had gone to hide in times of fear and anger. This was where she got a closer bond with her friends. This was where she fell in love…

But it was all going to be history soon. Nothing more than a memory and a figment of her mind.

Then, she jumped into the book. The swirling vortex spun her swiftly before she landed once more in Timid's territory.

Completely silent, she carried herself proudly as she marched throughout her own mind. She immediately recognized the two figures across the long way. The march to them was slow but sure. Bringing her hood down and still walking, she made sure that her face didn't give away anything she was feeling. Not that she was feeling anything to cover at the moment. She had a lot of practice at having no feelings.

Once she came up to them, she glanced down at Beast Boy, who looked to be in a hypnotized state. "Do you have the spell?"

Raven eyed Beast Boy. "Hand him over."

Telekinetically, the Feminine Side slid beast Boy over on the ground. Not even glancing down at him, Raven began the spell. "In the mind, in the soul,"

Her counterpart grinned. "In the heart, in the body,"

In unison, they chanted, "One at a time, two at a change."

A white glow surrounded them. Raven opened the flask, took a swig, and tossed it over the Feminine Side, who growled in return. "You couldn't be a little bit more careful?"

Raven licked her lips, trying to remove any traces of that foul-tasting liquid. "What do you care, nothing spilled."

After stiffening, the Feminine Raven took a drink. They both suddenly glowed a bright red, and Raven blinked, then said, "Can I say goodbye?"

She appeared to think about it, before nodding. "It'll be about a minute before the spell takes its full effect. Be my guest."

Raven knelt down at Beast Boy, and gently shook him awake. His lashes fluttered, then he looked up at her, and said, "Raven? Did we get her?"

She smiled gently, which caused his eyes to widen. "No. But maybe you can later. I had to stop her from torturing you, so she and I are trading places."

He sat up, and took her hand, looking at her strangely. "Raven, nobody tortured me. I've been by myself in Brave's territory for the past hour. Nothing's been happening."

Her eyes widened, and she looked over at the Feminine Side, who had her arms crossed with a satisfied grin. "Poor dear. It appears we'd both do anything when it comes to Beast Boy eh?"

Beast Boy's grip tightened. "Raven, what's she talking about?"

Raven looked down at herself. She was glowing red, and the spell was going to go to work any second. "She tricked me! She made me think you were being tortured so I made a spell to…" Words escaped her as the gravity of the situation finally came to life. Her face fell to her hands.

Beast Boy grabbed her shoulders, his eyes glittering in panic. "Raven come on, don't worry, we've just got to get out of here before it works."

Raven whimpered. "It's too late."

He cupped her face, and said with conviction. "Well don't worry! I'll do whatever it takes to get you out!" He then crushed her mouth in a possessive kiss.

Her eyes widened at the force he put behind it. She tried to kiss him back, tears that she never thought could fall dropping from her eyes. "**NO! Stop that! You don't understand what will happen!**"

Raven broke away, and a bright light started to flash. Beast Boy was suddenly glowing the same blood-red that she herself was radiating not two seconds ago. The Feminine Side snatched Raven's hand. At a closer glance, one could see the four dangerous red eyes. "You've changed the spell! Beast Boy will now be the one stuck here!"

Her jaw dropped, and suddenly, an even brighter flash cracked across the sky. The Feminine Side was gone, and Raven sensed what was about to happen. She was next to go. To go back to the outside world. But Beast Boy…

She grasped him, and clung as tight as she could. "No!"

He took her arms and caressed her hair. He knew it too. "Rave, I'll be fine."

She looked up. "Stop it! Quick, kiss me again, we can reverse it, and you'll be free!"

He shook his head, and a smile of confidence rose to his lips. He was sure, and certain, and ready. How he managed to become so brave so fast was unbelievable. And Raven thought he never looked more incredible. "As tempting as the idea of kissing you again sounds, I won't do it Rave. I can't let the girl I love give up her freedom just to save little ol' me."

Raven blinked. "What?"

The burst of light flashed across her vision, and Raven was in her room. Beast Boy was gone.

"**NO!**"


	18. First Battle :SortaShort:

Chapter 17

Raven's eyes narrowed to intimidating white slits. The Feminine Side was storming across her room, equally angry, her hands fisting in her hair. "You fool! Do you realize what you've done!? You may have a normal brain all-of-a-sudden, but now Beast Boy is in MY mind!"

The fury was difficult to fight, but Raven couldn't afford to endanger her other friends. And if they kept this up the Tower would be nothing more than a pile of black ashes, along with the rest of the Titans. So instead of shouting and making a commotion, she clenched her fist and said in a hissing tone, "You were the one who started this whole thing. If it weren't for you, none of this would have happened to begin with."

The Feminine Side jerked her head back at Raven. She stomped towards her. "You don't understand do you? Beast Boy is stuck in there forever!"

Her heart tugged at the very idea, but she stood tall, meeting the Feminine Side literally face-to-face. "I understand the situation exactly as it is. But every spell has a reverse. This isn't over yet."

Her door opened behind them, but they both ignored it. The other Titans came in, and even though they remained silent, they braced themselves for battle. Robin gripped three freeze-discs in his fingers, Starfire rose in the air with glowing hands and eyes, and Cyborg cocked his mechanical arm ready to fire.

The Feminine Side grinned spitefully. She swiped a black shield over herself, and she ran over to grab _Nevermore_. Raven's eyes widened, and she used her own powers to claw and attack at the black shield. The Feminine Side saluted, and struck out her hand. One of Raven's large windows went black, and with a slice of Feminine Side's arm through the air, was cracked, then shattered into thousands of pieces. She walked over to the open window with a confident strut, the book in hand. Upon reaching it, she saluted Raven, and flew out. Soon after, the black shield disappeared.

Raven levitated off the ground, and after backing up a little bit, she rushed out the broken window, hot in pursuit.

Starfire lunged after her, but Robin and Cyborg grabbed her feet. "Eek," she shouted, and twisted her torso to look back down at the boys holding her captive. "Friends please! Raven is in danger! We must try to help her!"

They tried pulling her back down, but the strength she was using to get higher up almost pulled them off their feet. "Starfire stop for a second!"

She opened her eyes, and looked down at Robin's pleading face, and after kicking her feet out of both their grasps, she lowered herself. Robin rubbed his wrist to relieve the pressure Starfire put on it, and said, "Starfire, we really shouldn't interfere with this."

Starfire blinked in confusion. "But, we have always been there to defend our friends. This occasion is not any different."

Cyborg and Robin glanced at each other, then back at Starfire. "Star, this one IS a little different. Raven said herself that she and B didn't want us involved in the situation with them and the Feminine Side. And we all agreed to keep out."

Starfire spread her arms in hopelessness. "But Raven is in danger! And Beast Boy is possibly in danger too! We cannot just 'keep out'!"

Robin put his hand on her bare shoulder, trying to help her understand. Sometimes it was so hard to get Starfire to comprehend the complexities of earthling ways. Especially earthlings as stubborn as Beast Boy and Raven. "Starfire, if they didn't want us involved, then they had a good reason. They're both sensible enough to know better than to get involved in something they couldn't handle on their own and do it anyway. Believe me, if she and Beast Boy really needed our help, then they would have asked for it."

Starfire looked over at the broken window, from which now came a gentle breeze that blew some loose papers. Robin usually knew what was happening in uncanny scenarios, and Starfire always trusted him. But did he really have the right answer this time?

(Somewhere in a barren desert.)

Raven spread her arms wide to block the array of rocks from the oasis that the Feminine Side was throwing at her. She then lifted her arms, and spread them wide. "_Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS_!"

The sand below her became encompassed by her black energy, and swirled into a tall cyclone around her before spiraling at the Feminine Raven. She flew high in the air to dodge the twister, but Raven lifted her arms. The tornado of sand followed the Side as she made dips and turns throughout the cliffs and crevices of the desert. Raven pushed at the sand harder. "Rgh!"

The Side yelped as the raging cyclone engulfed her body, and spun her around rapidly dozens of times before tossing her out. She hit the ground, then rolled a couple times before ending up in a sitting position, a cloud of dust puffing around her. Once the dust had cleared, it revealed the Feminine Raven, one hand still clasping the book, and the other cradling her no doubt spinning head. Her eyes were spinning swirls, and her mouth was open, leaking drool. "Ughhh…"

Raven dropped back to ground. "There's an easy way to end this. Just hand over the book."

Comprehension came back to the Feminine Raven like a splash of cold water. She clenched a fist, and rose to the air. "There's no way you're getting this book while I'm still alive."

Raven closed her eyes, and disappeared into a black shadow, that after swirling around a moment, expanded to a large, black, raven. "**Wanna bet**?"

She used her telekinesis to engulf a large portion of the sky, and Feminine Side. The magic allowed her a strong advantage. She searched through the darkness, and upon finding her adversary, she snapped out her arms and snatched the book away. Raven quickly lost the darkness of the sky. Grinning victoriously, she said, "Too easy!"

The eyes of the Feminine Side widened, and after glancing at her hands, she patted herself, trying to assure herself that Raven had really taken it from her. Taking advantage of her confusion, Raven pointed to the ground. "_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!_" The ground underneath the sand shook, and submitting to Raven's magic, rose in the air, and crushed around the Feminine Side before plummeting to Earth.

"Ahh!"

Smiling in delight, she flew back home. Behind her, little did she know, was a shaking base of ground. The planet trembled momentarily, before bursting out in all directions, breaking the rocks and plateaus all around the epicenter. From it, emerged a powerful being. A woman striding out of her grave, confident and angry. Through her rage, she managed to smile evilly in cunning satisfaction. "You're right my dear Raven. It _isn't_ over yet."

(Back at the Tower, Raven's Room.)

Raven looked down at the book, then back up at her friends, her eyes clogged with tears. "Then I was flashed back to reality, and you pretty much know what happened from there."

Starfire had her fist over her mouth, crying a little; Cyborg looked slightly downcast; and Robin had a mask of stern leadership over his face to cover his concern. "Do you know what to do about this?"

Raven nodded. "I just have to enter the book to find Beast Boy, and I can cast a spell that reverses the situation. All I ask is that you guys keep guard."

They all nodded, the movement making Starfire's eyes leak tears. Raven opened the book, and was about ready to jump in, when Starfire said, "Raven?"

She looked back at her alien friend. "Do you love Beast Boy too?"

Raven's eyes widened, and she resisted the urge to cry. "Yes Starfire. But please don't tell him when you see him. I want to be the one to tell him."

Star nodded, smiling joyously, and they all watched as Raven jumped inside, not even thinking of looking back, so long as she saved the one she loved.

(In the book.)

Rude put down a Three of Hearts. "So, is this the only thing on our agenda for the rest of eternity?"

The green changeling shook his head, and picked up a card from a deck. Nothing eased the mind better than a good game of Rummy. As he placed the winning hand on the large rock they had chosen to play on, Beast Boy said, "No. Not for the rest of eternity anyway."

Rude shuffled the deck a couple times, before dealing out the cards. As she placed the rest of the deck down and flipped the top card over, she said to him, "Why not?"

Beast boy glanced over his cards, and carefully organized them to his liking. After picking up a card from the deck, he dropped his unwanted card onto the rock. Giving it a thoughtful glance, he said, "I won't be here that long."

Rude gave him a sly grin before popping a large bubble and making her move, dropping the Ace of Hearts. "Oh really?"

Beast Boy stared thoughtfully at the card, thought of the significance of it, and smiled. "Really."


	19. Struggle

Chapter 18

Beast Boy paced restlessly as Rude played her third round of solitaire. She eyed him in annoyance. "Would you sit _down_ already? My feet are aching and I've got holes in my booties just _watching_ you!"

Beast Boy scowled at the air. "Raven's out there! Fighting the Feminine Side alone! She needs help!"

Rude looked up at him sarcastically. "And you're gonna be just the one to give it to her right?"

He growled again. "Raven's my friend, I don't want to see her hurt."

She slapped a card down, and scooped up the four piles. "I doubt you would get this worked up if Starfire or Cyborg got in a sticky situation. Or Robin for that matter." Rude flopped the deck down with finality, and began picking her ear with her pinky. Speaking of sticky…

He groaned out his impatience, and started to stomp. "Of course I would; just because I have feelings for Raven doesn't mean I don't care about my other friends. It's not like I'm putting them underneath her."

Rude stopped what she was doing to look up at him, her gaze a mix of cynicism and sympathy. "It's not so much like you're putting the rest of them underneath her, it's like you're putting her above them."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes, ignoring her too-accurate perception. "Oh, please."

"Don't 'oh please' me dude! It's not exactly like you're a locked diary when it comes to expressing your feelings, you know," she reminded him.

Beast Boy growled once again. Feelings didn't matter here. Who knew what could happen between those two?

(Somewhere else in the new Nevermore.)

Raven hated what she did. Looking back, it was definitely a bad idea to ask her friends to guard the book. Who knew what they were up against when the Side got angry? If she was anything like Raven was, then they were probably facing a very difficult challenge.

But she had to help Garfield, and her friends were strong. She stopped walking, and closed her eyes, searching for Beast Boy's essence. It then occurred to her that since Beast Boy was now an actual _part_ of this mind, then finding him psychically was going to be almost impossible. She supposed she would have to find him the old fashioned way. Sighing, she began the long walk through the vacant territories of what used to be _her_ mind. Raven wasn't a very optimistic person, but she just wanted everything to turn out alright.

Her lips tightened as she went over her plan. Find Garfield, reverse the spell, if necessary fight the Feminine Side again, and get Rude to face Feminine Side so they could combine again. Then she and Beast Boy would be back in the real world. After that…

She flew off the ground, and began to scan the terrain below her. If Beast boy was in here, then she was going to find him!

(The Real World)

Starfire paced across Ravens floor while Robin's eyes rolled under his mask. "Starfire? What are you so worried about? Raven said that everything was going to be okay."

Starfire continued to pace.

"Seriously Star, relax; you don't need to be so on edge, it's gonna be fine," Cyborg said, trying to assure the Tameranean.

Starfire continued to pace.

Robins brows furrowed in distress. "Star? Are you okay? You haven't said anything since Raven went into the book."

Starfire continued to pace.

Cyborg stood from the chair he had perched himself in. "Yeah, and ya haven't stopped pacin' either."

Starfire continued to pace.

Robin and Cyborg looked at each other and nodded. Cyborg stepped forward and spoke, "Star, we're just tryin' to say---"

"In the nicest way possible---"

"Is---"

"That…"

They watched still, noticing that Starfire had been pacing the entire time they were talking.

But teenage boys could only take so much for so long. "YOU'RE DRIVING US CRAZY!" They yelled in unison, shaking their fists and flailing their arms crazily. (A/N: Chibi-Style.)

Starfire stopped suddenly, and slowly turned to look at the boys, her hands clasped together so tightly her knuckles were turning white, but done so innocently and childlike that if the situation weren't so serious, it would have Robin smiling. Her eyes were bright, the beautiful green shining and glimmering.

"I am not worried about the Feminine Side. I am confident we'd be able to 'kick her butt' in combat."

Cy and Robin looked at each other again. "Then…what's the big deal?"

After a short pause, Starfire's famous smile lit brightly, her enthusiasm literally radiant through that lively smile.

"OUR FRIENDS ARE IN LOVE!"

Robin let out a breath and grinned. "Well, Raven loves him, but let's not jump to any conclusions about Beast Boy. We don't know how he feels."

Starfires head rested on her hands. "But it is not conclusion-jumping!" She giggled enthusiastically and began bouncing on her toes. "Our friends are clearly meant to be!"

"Which pair?" Cyborg muttered snidely to Robin, who blushed and ineffectively jabbed him in his metal stomach.

Thankfully Star hadn't heard noticed, for she continued. "Hahaha! It is so wonderful; Raven and Beast Boy are perfect together."

Robin crossed his arms, doubtful but amused by the concept. "You really think so Starfire?"

She shook her fists together happily. (A/N: How Long Is Forever, last scene reference.) "Just think! First, they shall do the 'dating', then they shall get married then have many little children that look just like them and they shall have children and their children shall have children and Beast Boy and Raven will live happily ever after!" She took a deep breath, her face turning blue from lack of oxygen, and she plopped down on the floor on her knees to take a break from all the pacing.

Robin went over to her, and kindly patted her shoulder. "Why don't we get through this situation first Starfire?"

Starfire looked up at him from her legs, and smiled. Still naïve in earthly ways, it didn't even register to her how close her face was to Robins. "You are right Robin. We must concentrate on the situation at hand."

A little uncomfortable at the short proximity of their faces, Robin tried to smile back. "Okay. And maybe we should let _them_ decide on how they want their relationship to be right?"

Starfire nodded again. "This is true also. How they want their relationship to be is their choice."

Robin managed a real smile this time. Starfire was so kind and considerate to others, and so sweet and childlike, she was almost impossible to resist. He had been trying to hide his attraction to her for some time. Being taught and raised in Batmans image didn't exactly teach him to be an open book about his feelings. But he swore to himself that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. No matter what. His eyes shifted over her features. She was so beautiful…in so many ways. When they had first met, he was stymied by how incredible she looked. Everything from her soft red hair, to her dazzling green eyes, tall graceful figure, and healthy fully developed br---

"Robin? Are you alright?"

His eyes widened at the turn of his thoughts, and he jumped up, his face as red as his costume. He scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Y-yeah Starfire! I'm just fine!" He hoped his big smile wasn't too fake but all he got was a sly grin from Cyborg and a confused glance from Star.

He cleared his throat, and looked back down at Star to address her again, but she appeared distracted. "Starfire are you okay?"

She got to her feet, and fisted her hands at her sides, the luminous green around them meaning that she was attempting to gain starbolts. Robin looked over at Cyborg, noticed that he was watching behind Robin, his mechanical arm cocking.

Robin turned around, and his eyes widened, recognizing the Feminine Side as she flew to the Tower. Her high speed, combined with the wicked grin and livid stare making her all the more frightening. Robin spun his bo-staff, and waited in preparation as Feminine Raven soared to the Tower, knowing that revenge would be the first thing on her mind. "Titans! Get ready!"

(In F.S.'s mind)

Raven scrutinized the landscape below her, feeling like an owl looking for a mouse. Only she didn't intend to _eat_ Beast Boy once she found him.

She didn't know how long she had been looking for him, but she wasn't going to give up. Not until she was positive that he was alright.

Raven didn't even know how long she had been looking for him anymore. For any price, she'd bet that she'd been through six emotional fields, and still no Beast Boy. The area once her mind was restored to what it had been when the Feminine Side took over: that dreadfully decorated house. If it weren't for her feelings towards Beast Boy and her ability to commit self-sacrifice, Raven would have sworn that the Feminine Side wasn't even a _part_ of her.

Suddenly, something dashed below her, but so rapidly that she couldn't identify it. Raven stopped abruptly in the air, looking frantically for the object. Once she saw it move again, she did a nose-dive to the ground, flying as fast as she could. Once she jerked to a stop five inches above the ground, a massive cloud of dust puffed up around her. She didn't wait for it to clear. Raven flew out of the gray dust, and held out her hand as she ran, shouting, "_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos_!"

A rock rose from the ground in front of her, and she threw it to the wind. Once she could clearly make out the person in front of her, Raven released a depressed sigh. "Rude?"

The graceful orange figure looked intimidated, crouching in the fetal position in a very uncharacteristic way. "No, it's Shirley Temple! Yes, it's me Rude ya oddball!"

Rude stood shaking in fear of Raven; an unusual thing, but she couldn't honestly blame her. To Rude, Raven probably seemed more dangerous than usual…in fact she _felt_ more dangerous than usual. She put her hands on her hips. "I thought you would be with Beast Boy."

Once seeing that Raven didn't have any dangerous intentions, Rude got out of her fetal position, though still not rising to a stand. As she patted the ground, apparently searching for something, she said, "I was. But he wouldn't stop pacing waiting for you it was making me nuts! So I told him that since you would be coming back for him anyway, he might as well start looking for you and give me some peace!"

Raven's eyes widened. "So he's been wandering around my mind this whole time? Looking for _me_? While I was looking for _him_?"

Rude shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

She tossed Rude a disgusted glance, and turned to fly off. Just as she was about ready to jump, something occurred to her. Her head twisted back to Rude. "What are you doing anyway?"

Rude looked up, and her brow rose snootily. "If you _must_ know, I'm looking for something."

Raven's eyes narrowed to slits in annoyance. "And _what_ would it be that you're looking for?"

Rude smirked. "Makings for a house. All this housing in your mind has inspired me. I'm making a new house. One that fits here better."

"Oh…" Raven looked around, and before she let herself completely forget about Beast Boy, she said, "well, start looking somewhere else."

Without another word to the emotion, Raven flew off again. She'd already killed too much time.

(Back in the real world.)

"Oh, poor Titans! You're really trying aren't you? A pity you don't stand a chance!" The Feminine Side said loftily. One of the arms of the Tower was completely destroyed, making it look like an upside-down L, so perhaps she was permitted to gloat.

Robin ran, and grabbing a broken light fixture, he swung himself up onto the roof of the Tower while Cyborg and Starfire burst through the ceiling. Robin snapped his bo-staff from his belt again, and shouted to the Feminine Side, who was floating haughtily over their heads, her arms crossed in satisfaction. "Look dear Titans, I have already made it clear that if you wont _give_ me the book, then I'll just have to _take_ it."

Starfire growled. She had the book in a death-alien-grip, and wasn't about to let go. "You will never get this book! Raven has entrusted us to keep it safe, and keep it safe we shall!"

The Feminine Raven grinned. Her eyes glowed, and released one of her arms. She pointed to Robin, who was suddenly engulfed in black, and was rising off the ground. "Robin!" Starfire shouted.

Groaning, Robin dropped his bo-staff. The Feminine Raven clenched her fingers together, and twisted her wrist. The next sound they heard was a snap, and a shout. She dropped Robin to the ground with a foul smile. His right arm was broken, snapped in a different direction from the elbow. Starfire gasped, and foolishly fell for the trap. _Forevermore_ fell from her hands as she rushed to help Robin. The Feminine Smile grinned again. "Love's a wonderful thing!"

Landing with the book at her feet, the Feminine side knelt down, but once she had it grasped with one hand, Cyborg tried to snatch it away. She gasped, and took the other corner of the book in her other hand while Cyborg gained a better grip on it as well. They both groaned, desperately pulling at the book to get it back. The Feminine Side shouted, "Resistance is a waste of time Cyborg! You will never get this book back!"

Cyborg grinned gamely. "You wanna bet? Argh!"

The two stomped their feet into the roof to get better balance. Once that was settled, the two raged a vicious battle of tug-of-war. "Beast Boy is _meant_ for me! I will _not_ let him go so easily!"

Starfire joined Cyborg, and pulled at his stomach, her alien strength aiding them greatly. The Feminine Side began to slide forward, her feet dragging in the concrete roof. "You will not get this book back you horrible BITCH!"

Everyone gasped, though they didn't let the unusual outburst stop them. Robin in fact watched the others more intently, trying to get up on his feet while clasping his bleeding arm. Starfire was more than ready to fight for her friends, regardless of what happened to her.

And he never loved her more.

His eyes widened in fear as Cyborg armed his shoulder-cannon; and the Feminine Raven had a black aura glowing behind her. With a growl, they both shot at each other.

Before Robin passed out, the last thing he saw was a large flash.

(In the book.)

Raven felt so tired…physically and emotionally. But she couldn't give up, nor would she! Just as her eyes began to fog with sleep, she noticed something below her again. She gasped, hoping urgently that it wasn't Rude again.

The figure was faltering in its steps. It raised its hands, and shouted, "Raven! Raven where are you?"

A lustrous, happy smile lit Raven's so often somber face. Cupped her mouth, she shouted, "Beast Boy! Up here!"

He froze, then his eyes rose. Since his back was facing her, she shouted again, "Behind you!"

Beast Boy flipped around, and gave her a smile that lightened her mood almost completely. He morphed into a pterodactyl, and began to fly up to her. Before she was completely distracted again, Raven crossed her hands in front of her face, and shouted, "_En Ima Mortux Giuno VIZ_!"

They sky was altered from the cheery, sunny palette to the dark, starry horizon, laced with blood-red clouds. Now, they were finally in her mind again! Not the Feminine Side! Not that ostentatious, girly bimbo's! Hers!

"Finally!" She shouted in unison with Beast Boy, who in his eagerness changed back to his human form prematurely. He almost fell to the ground before Raven grabbed his hands.

He looked so happy, and he cupped her face while she held his waist, almost like he had wanted to prove to himself that she was real. "I didn't think you'd make it back," he said sheepishly.

Raven blinked. "To be honest, I didn't think I would either."

All words forgotten, Beast Boy leaned forward to kiss her.

"**Not so fast lovebirds**!"

They turned, and faced the Feminine Side. Wild in all her fury, her teeth sharper, her four eyes red, and her hands jointed in fury. "**You forget already Raven? Well…let me remind you**!"

She threw her hands behind her head, then in front of her face again, her powers reflecting her rage. "**THIS ISN'T OVER**!"

The black aura was all that they could see anymore. As Raven waved her hands through the dark, she realized that she and Beast Boy had been separated. Her hands searched through the blackness, desperate to find him. "BEAST BOOOOOY!"


	20. Deadly Silence

Chapter 19

Raven blinked, trying to gain a hold of where she was. The sky was a cheery blue, contradicting the on-edge mood. The floor below her was what was left of the right wing of Titans Tower. On her left, Starfire was sprawled over the remains of Beast Boys bunk-bed. Her unconscious body laying across the burnt sheets. If she was in her own bed, she'd look like she was just taking a nap after a hard day of crime-fighting.

Robin was laying ten feet in front of her, equally unconscious, but his arm was twisted at a forty-five degree angle. Cyborg was nowhere to be seen.

Raven's breath was shuddery, her temper flaring violently at the carnage. She fell to her knees, and banged her fists on the floor.

She whipped around; the book was gone. Closing her eyes, she bit her lip, knowing the familiar sting of tears in her eyes while her anger slowly tried to consume her. To think that a minute ago she was ready to cry with joy. Raven clenched her fists, grasping the invisible control slowly slipping through her fingers. First she had to relax, then her friends needed her.

Raven took a deep breath and rose to her feet, her appearance stone while she walked to Starfire. The steps there were littered with flighty ashes crackling glass and smoldering flames. The roof was long gone, and due to a stronger wind, several personal effects were being thrown into the breeze, twirling and twisting in the gale. So few things were left. The only rooms standing were Beast Boy's and Robin's.

Raven reached out, and cupped the aliens head. She closed her eyes again, and concentrated her powers into her sense of touch; her healing touch. A pale blue aura invitingly glowed around her hands, and Raven tried to sense out what was wrong. As she sensed for the physical pain within Starfire, the emotional pain was inevitably brought to life, no matter how little there was. The loss of her parents at youth, being taken from her home, the betrayal of her sister; it amazed Raven that Starfire was such an optimist with all the tragedies her life was overwhelmed with.

Getting back to the situation at hand…

Starfire's eyes fluttered, then the bright green shined as her eyes returned to full-focus. "Raven?"

She didn't respond, but turned away and made her way to Robin.

Star rolled onto her hands and knees, looking at Raven in concern. The last thing she remembered was helping Cyborg get the book away from the Feminine Side, then a very bright flash…from there everything was blank.

Well here was Raven, but where was Beast Boy? And that ghastly Feminine Side?

She watched Raven carefully lift Robin's hands, and a blue glow was cast around the joined hands. Starfire rose from the bed, and flew over to them in apprehension.

Robin's mask adjusted, until his eyes opened. Starfire got down to her knees again while Robin blinked, trying to make sure he was seeing things right. Starfire and Raven were above him, and his arm was back in place. Cautiously he rose to his elbows, and looked at the two girls. "What happened you guys?"

Star put a hand on his shoulder. "I do not know Robin. Raven and I are the only ones here. Are you alright?"

Robin nodded. "I think so."

Her eyes watered, and she looked ready to give him one of her classic bear hugs, so he braced himself, but all she did was lean forward---and to his utter shock---kiss his cheek. He was so flustered he sat still for a second before he threw his arms around her neck, and hugged her tight.

Star gasped, then she let out a sob as she gently, but lovingly, hugged him back. Robin pulled away and before he could help himself, he cupped her face, his thumb stroking her cheekbone through his green gloves. She remained still, letting him examine her diamond shaped face. He took a deep breath. She was okay! His mouth was parted, and it occurred to him that he was leaning forward. What was he doing?!

She gasped, hoping for the real kiss she had been anticipating for so long. Instead Robin chose that one instant to come back to his senses. He let go of her face as if her skin seared his hands, cleared his throat, and stood, leaving Star on her knees; making her feel small and helpless. Gathering her dignity, Starfire stood too, noting Robin hadn't held out his hand to her like he often did. Normally as well, Star might take offense, but now she was grateful. If he was going to be polite and sweet enough to help her up, she was going to break down and cry like a Naramat Mebbleshneck.

How much longer was Robin going to deny the attraction they had? It wasn't as if he didn't know about it. Perhaps maybe if she told him how she felt first, then maybe he would feel better about opening up to her. Very well then; she could stand to tell Robin how she felt first. But now was clearly not the time to do so. She could wait to tell him as well. Curiously, her eyes followed that of her half-demon friend.

Raven was in the once center of the Tower, and her arms were out to the sides. They spun in soft circles, then clapped together in front of her chest like she was praying. Her mouth was moving in an apparent silent incantation. Mechanical parts from every which-way flew up in front of Raven. A collective gasp was heard as the other Titans discovered what those parts exactly were: Cyborg.

The devices spun in circles around Raven as more and more came up from inside the building, outside, and everywhere in between. Starfire released a shiver as some of his flesh areas spun in the air. Raven joined her hands, gripping so tightly her already pallid knuckles were white. All the robot and human parts suddenly started spinning like a cyclone. A bright flash, and there was Cyborg, all in one piece, and never looking better.

His red eye started glowing, and his human eye blinked. With a pained moan, he cradled his head. "Ughhh…"

Laughing, Starfire clasped Cyborg into a bear hug that almost crushed his newly-formed body. "Oh Cyborg! You are alive! And well!"

Gasping for breath, Cyborg patted Starfire's back. "i WaS," he wheezed.

Blushing a little Starfire let go abruptly, and they turned to Raven. "So Raven," Robin said, watching as the hybrid wordlessly made her way to what was left of her room. "What exactly happened in the book? We tried to keep it away from the Feminine Side as long as possible."

She didn't say anything to that. Only continued to walk to her room, cold as stone, and not saying a word. The other Titans looked at each other, knowing that when Raven got into this mood then it was important to be careful what was said. She was dead on the outside because she was entirely too alive on the inside; for better or worse. Her hood was up and her shoulders were slumped. Something that occurred only when she was upset.

Once she reached her room, her eyes glowed as her arm swept across the air, throwing all the debris off her dresser, except for her mirror. Eyes still glowing, she lifted it to her face, and blinked. Quicker than that blink, she was sucked into the mirror, leaving her friends stranded, clueless, and confused.

(In Ravens Mind.)

The Feminine Side paced, gnarling her teeth, her fists clenched until her nails cut the flesh of her palm. "She'll be back soon, the persistent wretch."

Beast Boy looked at her angrily. "Don't you _dare_ call her a wretch."

Her brow rose in slight amusement. "You don't like the language I use for her? No problem. Demon. Wench. Witch. Monster. Ha---"

"SHUT UP!" He growled, and pounded his fists against the glass ball he was trapped in.

How lame was this? He could change into anything. _Anything_, and here he was stuck in a stupid ball of glass.

He'd already tried breaking it, but that didn't work out so well. The throbbing in his head proved it from when he changed to a ram. She must have had it protected by some kind of psychic shield over the whole thing.

The Feminine Raven looked at him in confusion; she didn't even know why he was angry at her. Then she burst out laughing, her head thrown back. "Well, I suppose it is wrong for me to make fun of one of your friends. I shall try to be more tactful."

Beast Boy crossed his arms. "You can _try_ to let me out of here!"

She put her fingers to her mouth, appalled. "You don't understand! If you're free, then Raven can get to you." His brows rose and he held out his hands, his expression saying my-point-exactly. But she ignored it and continued speaking, this time walking towards him. "Otherwise you know I would gladly set you free my love. This time not being close to you is so trying…"

He leaned back in disgust. How was _this_ part of _Raven_? But he tried to use the situation to his advantage and try to trick her into busting him out. "Well, you could always bring us together…"

She smiled, and he had a strong feeling he wasn't going to get the result he wanted. "True…"

A black, snake-like aura twisted sinuously in front of Beast Boy, and he backed up a little in the glass as the Feminine Side phased into the ball. Desperately trying to avoid her, he backed to the curve of the glass behind him while she stalked closer, her smile filled with devious intent. As she leaned closer and closer Beast Boy's eyes widened, and out of desperation he changed into a mosquito, flying away as fast and quietly as possible so she couldn't see. He watched her look around helplessly for him. "Oh Beast Boy! Now is not the time for games!"

Her black aura surrounded the ball entirely, making him worry slightly about her intent. Suddenly, there was nothing but noise. The glass exploded, Feminine Raven was screaming like a banshee, and he became a human again to avoid getting squished by the large shards of glass flying around the place. He watched as the glass ball was broken into hundreds of pieces and the Feminine Raven flew up from the disaster. Her hood was off so he could see a wide, bleeding cut on her cheek, there was a rip on the waist of her leotard, and there were two long slices down her right leg. She was literally dripping blood onto the dusty ground of Raven's mind, a scowl etched on her now scarred face.

Beast Boy followed the direction of her scowl, and grinned when he saw Raven, hovering high in the air, staring at the Feminine Side with a mixture of fury, jealousy, and outraged passion.

…Bad time to think about it perhaps, but he noticed how…_hot_ she was when she was mad. Knowing that things were about to get pretty heavy, Beast Boy turned and leapt behind a rock, attempting to get a safe view of the action.

"How _dare_ you try to take him away from me! I may be a part of you, but that does_ not_ mean I can't act on my own!"

Raven didn't say anything to that, and Beast Boy started to get a little worried. Her eyes spoke volumes of her emotions, but she said nothing…and Raven tended to get a little dangerous when she was quiet.

The Feminine Side angrily lunged into the air, the blood from her wounds disappearing as she healed herself. Relying on pure, aggressive strength alone, Feminine Side curled her hand into a fist, and his eyes widened as she drew her fist back for an attack while Raven remained completely immobile, her body hidden away by her cloak, her hood down.

As the fist flew at Raven, one hand flew out of her robe, and blocked the punch. Another fist, another hand. With incredible speed and precision, Raven continued to stop the blows Feminine Side threw at her. Beast Boy felt his worry for her rise, realizing that this battle could turn out very dangerous for her. He jumped from behind the rock, and morphed into a pterodactyl, flying up to help.

Raven spotted him, and as another punch flew at her face, she actually grabbed this one, and after a slight pull, she angrily pushed the Side down to the ground beneath them. Swiping her hand over in Beast Boy's direction, she watched as he was enveloped in her dark powers. Confused, he struggled to get out of her telekinetic grasp. A quick glance told her where the Forbidden Door was. Comprehension dawned in his eyes, and he quickly turned back to a human. "Raven no! Let me stay and help!"

Beast Boy was so incredible to her. Trying so hard to help her whenever he felt she needed it; being so nice to her even when she was being cruel and harsh to him; practically sacrificing himself for her. All the good things she wanted in life without a family she found in him. She couldn't let him subject himself to the kind of danger she was going to face.

She tried to smile reassuringly, and without a word, she swiped her arm across the vast land of Nevermore to the Forbidden Door, and using the black telekinetic claw, she gently shoved him out of her mind. Huffing a breath of determination, she turned back to the Feminine Side, who was quickly making her way back for round two.

(Real World)

Beast Boy blinked, and turned back to the mirror he was transported from. He bent to pick it up, but as soon as his fingers touched the handle, the glass broke, barring his entrance back into her mind, and the Feminine Side no doubt took the book back in there with her.

His breath came out in shudders, fury boiling rapidly beneath the surface, along with a grim, familiar face. Clenching, he tried to bury the beast back deep into himself before it reared its ugly head again. "Raven…," he whispered desperately.

"B?"

Gasping, he looked back behind him, and found Cyborg, and only then did it occur to Beast Boy how desolate his surroundings actually were right now. The entire roof of the Tower was gone, along with the left wing. Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire's rooms were gone, leaving his and Robin's. At least what he could see.

Cy, Star, and Rob stood in the remaining hallway of Titan's Tower, their expressions confused and desperate. Urgently hoping for an answer, Cyborg held out his hands, and said in a pleading voice, "B, what's happening here? First you guys go into the book, no worries. Raven and the Feminine Side come out, then Raven goes back in. Feminine Side rips up the Tower then hops into the book again, and Raven comes out. She fixes us up, then goes back in there, and now you come out. What is going _on_ here Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy blinked, and with a sigh, walked over to them to explain what he could of what had happened since they were last updated. By the time he was through, Starfire looked ready to cry, Robin's mask showed what it could of the concern he was feeling, and Cyborg looked ready to kick some ass.

"We've got to find a way to get in there! Raven can't fight the Side all by herself, not when she's ready to get so mad!"

The other Titan's nodded in agreement. "Cyborg? Do you think you can fix her mirror?" Beast Boy asked, pointing to the broken glass a couple feet away.

Nodding efficiently, Cyborg said, "I'll do mah best dawg."

Quickly he made his way over to the small object, and used his electronic eye to find all the pieces while the others waited restlessly. Once he found them, it took what Beast Boy thought an hour to put them all back together.

As he slid the final piece of broken glass back into place Cyborg let out a breath of tiredness, and stood, bringing the mirror with him. They set it back on Raven's table, and watched it glow a dark gray. Once the light disappeared, the glass in the mirror was fully restored looking like it had never even broke in the first place.

Grabbing it, Beast Boy stared at his reflection, waiting for the red eyes to appear against the blackness. His face was anxious and uncertain, something he'd been feeling a lot of lately…well…more like his whole life. He couldn't help it though; he was born that way.

Pushing that thought aside, he grinned in relief as the eyes he once found frightening glowed in the mirror. He felt Cy grip his arm so he could follow him inside Nevermore.

For hopefully, the last time he'd ever have to face The Feminine Side.

(Nevermore)

Raven licked away the blood on her lip, then jumped into the air when her counterpart made a nosedive down at the ground.

They were tearing up what there was of nothing. Several spots in Raven's mind were completely decimated, and what was left didn't have much to begin with anyway. She desperately needed help, but she knew that Rude wouldn't be of any help without her other emotions to join her.

She spun in the air, her arms out to the sides like helicopter blades, then raised them above her head. '_Apruga Moonchanté Mericulipsce._'

A blood red cloud encircled Raven's head, and she pointed down to the Side, and a bolt of lightening crackled down to her, missing her literally by inches.

The Side looked like an angry animal, baring her teeth and snarling, and her four eyes glowed a ferociously blood red.

"**You refuse to speak, miss **_**Raven**_?"

Raven blinked, giving away her answer. She had done very well at containing her anger, showing it only in the attacks she used, refusing to let it out otherwise for fear of destroying all her surroundings. If she ever got out, she would literally leave with brain damage.

Feminine Raven smiled, her jagged teeth baring some more. "**Very well…then you wouldn't mind sitting STILL**," She shot four bolts of unknown energy at Raven, and they flew at her so fast they clonked all of her limbs. "**While I try to NEGOTIATE**!"

She gasped, the energy twirling around Raven's wrists and ankles binding her to the ground. Twisting against her restraints, Raven tried to fight against it.

The Side slowly made her way to Raven, her anger making an apparent disappearance. "**Since you choose t**o be silent, perhaps I can get a few words out."

A hand stuck on her hip while the normal features came back. "If you give me Beast Boy, then I'll be happy to let you go."

The only response to that was a furious glare. For that, Raven received a jolt of electric shock, but she didn't cry out her pain, refusing to give that witch the satisfaction. Growling, the Feminine Side said, "Let's try this ag---ugh!"

Straining her neck to see, Raven noticed a large, green, rhino shove the Feminine Side away from Raven. He fluidly changed back into Beast Boy, who winked, and karate kicked the Feminine Side a good fifty feet away.

Her breath was coming in little pants as she heard a familiar voice shout, "Titans, GO!"

Starfire, flying towards the Side with Starbolts at the ready; Cyborg cocking his Sonic Cannon; Robin whipping out his bo staff. They were all there.

As Beast Boy came over to her, she opened her mouth to ask him how they got there, what the hell he thought he was doing, why he came back---but he gently put his gloved finger to her lips, a smile on his. "I'm just as stubborn as you Raven. No way are you gonna fight her alone."

Stunned, overwhelmed, and touched, Raven smiled at him with teary eyes, and watched as he actually grasped the raw energy, and tossed it aside, before comfortingly bringing her into his arms.

Her arms catapulting around him, she felt ready to cry at the love she felt for him, but restrained herself, settling for the embrace. Warm, strong, intimate, and the best part, hearing his heart beat against hers, in the proof that he was safe and alive. …At least for now.

They broke apart, and he carefully helped her up. Both of them ran towards their friends, not afraid to take on the witch.

Starfire violently kicked the Side's jaw, almost breaking it with the strength behind it. Recovering quickly, Feminine Side kneed Star in the stomach, and grabbing her long red hair, flung her against Robin. With a snap of her fingers, the two were stuck in a large transparent dome. She smiled as they struggled to get out, knowing it was to no avail.

"Aaaggggh!"

Her attention turned to Cyborg, who was charging up his sonic cannon as he ran towards her. The pure energy shot from his arm, and she put a black reflecting shield in front of her body, the blast shooting back to Cyborg and stopping him almost dead in his tracks. Not finished yet, she flew to Cyborg, and clasped her hands together, bringing them down angrily on his back while he hunched against the dirt. Next thing he knew, he was flat on his face in the same dome Star and Rob were trapped in.

Three down, and one to go.

But, as she watched Raven come back at her, she noticed Beast Boy as a wolf running at her side, and she felt the anger start to build again. Not only had the horrible sorceress stolen Beast Boy from her, she hand brainwashed him against his love for her!

She would teach that _Raven_!

"_Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos_!"

There was no intention for her to hit Beast Boy, but somehow it ended up a joint attack as the black bolt of lightening crackled against them both. She had to deal with Beast Boy later. Using her telekinesis to encircle his body, she shoved him off to the side, the poor boy protesting all the way. He honestly didn't know that Raven had poisoned his mind. Wretched woman would pay!

The Feminine Side walked to Raven, and she tried to get up to resist her, but her foot was caught under a rather large rock. She clutched her ankle to pull it out, and after two jerks the Feminine Side was looming angrily over her.

"You destroyed him."

Raven closed her mouth, knowing the words she wasn't speaking were directly in her eyes.

"You've turned him against me."

Frantic, she looked around to find out where her friends were. Beast Boy was no where in sight, and she couldn't find any green animals around her. The other three were still trapped in the dome. They all tried to shoot their way out, with freeze discs, starbolts, and a sonic cannon.

"He doesn't love me anymore."

A sigh of helplessness left her lips. Obviously they weren't going to be of any help.

"You've taken his feelings and twisted them to your liking."

Where _was_ Beast Boy?

"But I've decided to rectify that…"

Finally getting her attention, Feminine Raven grinned triumphantly down at her counterpart.

"By disposing of you,"

Her hands began to glow a deep red hue, and Raven recognized the aura from a spell book. Swords in the form of magic.

"Once, and for all."

Raven braced herself for the stab and shut her eyes tightly, but all she heard was a gasp, and all she felt was warmth on her legs. One eye opened, seeing a purple and black blur. Once both eyes opened, she crossed them to see the double-bladed magical red sword pointing right between her eyes. She looked up, and gasped in terror.

Feminine Side had stabbed Beast Boy.

Adrenaline giving her strength, Raven pushed the rock away, and swiped her hand through the red cloud to make it disappear. The sword did, but the wound bleeding profusely from Beast Boy's heart didn't.

Raven could heal almost anything. But if the wound was too severe, or done by her own magic then she couldn't heal it completely, or sometimes couldn't even heal at all. This time was a condition of the latter. But maybe she could try to help him the old fashioned way.

Her eyes foggy with what she prayed wasn't tears, she ripped off her robe, and stuffed it over his chest to stop the bleeding as he fell to the ground, his eyes wide with shock and pain. More pressure was applied to the gap that went clear through his body, making him cough up blood.

"Beast Boy!"

"Beast Booy!"

"Beast Boy!"

The other Titan's yelled for Beast Boy behind their prison, and now used all their strength against the dome, trying as hard as they could to get out and help their friend. But all to no avail once more.

He took shuddery pants of breath, and Raven looked up at the Feminine Side, who was slightly bent over, shell-shocked by what had happened, and was blinking constantly, trying to convince herself that it wasn't really happening.

Stupid woman.

Turning her attention back to the changeling, she watched as he smiled at her, his teeth lightly stained with blood. He panted slightly as he spoke. "Wow…this is a weird way to end things you know?"

She shook her head and pressed even harder, the deep red blood seeping through the fabric into her fingers.

"I was hoping that maybe I would have more opportunities to show you how much I love you."

Her eyes closed. No way…not now…

He gulped in pain, trying to regain the words he wanted so much to say.

"But you know…if it's gotta end it's gotta end…"

Raven's teeth gritted and she bundled up her cloak again to hopefully localize the pressure against the wound better. Not if she could help it, it wasn't.

He tried to laugh a little. "Aw, come on Rave…we've all got to leave sometime remember?"

Raven wiped her teary eye frantically, and in desperation yanked off the Feminine Side's robe and replaced hers with it, the blood spreading quickly into the fuschia fabric, completely ignoring Beast Boy's ramblings.

Until he seized her wrist.

Confused, she tried to yank it away, but he wasn't letting go. He brought his other hand up---this one slightly bloody---to stroke her hair. "Knock her out for me Raven."

Her mouth opened on a gasp, and he gulped in pain again.

"It's okay girl. You're gonna…kick her ass!"

She started panting, and this time she yanked her hand away, his dying body weakening.

Instead of reaching for the robe, she held his hand, and he gripped it as hard as he could; not very hard under the circumstances.

He gave her that toothy, crooked grin, stained with blood. "I love you Raven," he told her. Then slowly, his eyes rolled back in his head as he died.

Raven sat still, not sure what to do. Crying was out of her control, because the tears were already pouring down her cheeks. He had jumped in front of the blade to save her life. And forfeiting his own.

"Oh, Beast Boy…," a voice behind her said.

Her gaze shot up, her eyes wide and enraged. She knew what to do.

The Feminine Raven bit her lip, and felt something at her feet. She looked down, and twisted as she tried to get her feet free from the blackness.

All her movements stopped as she looked up, Raven coming to her feet, slow and shaky, her hands clenched into fists so tight her hands were bleeding.

She turned, and four, bright red eyes stared wildly angry at her.

The bloody hands came in the air.

"You…"

A black glow came around them both, and Raven flew into the air.

"_Should…_"

The black aura writhed and licked around Raven like a flame.

"_**Not…**_"

The black essence grew and grew into a large black bird, letting out it's sorrowful caw at the sky.

"_**HAVE…**_"

The bird whirled into a large black ball.

"_**KILLED**_**…**"

Raven rose her hands above her, and threw them down in front of her.

"_**BEAST BOYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!**_"

And the ball flew down at the Feminine Side.


End file.
